We visited churches in France

In the town of Rosheim, France, we came upon the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. This church had its beginnings in the years 1145-1167. It is built in the Romanesque art. Way up on top of the roof, sat this man. We managed to pull it in quite nicely with the zoom lens. Although legend says that this man and the one of the North side represent the count and the hermit, it seems they portray the material and spiritual side of life. The one on the southern side with the short tunic and something in his hand personified the life of labor. The monk reminds us that man cannot suffice unto himself but must lift his soul to God.

In the town of St. Nectaire, stands the Eglise St. Nectaire constructed around 1160. The name St. Nectaire is also given to a well-known cheese and has been produced for centuries in this area.

In the town of Vic-Le-Comte, we found the most ornate church in the region. The Sainte-Chapelle has richly colored stained glass dating back to the 15th century.

In the town of Brioude, same town where the lace school was, we found the Basilique St. Julien. It is the largest Romanesque church in the area. Building began in 1060 and was completed in 1180. Much was rebuilt including the square bell tower in the 19th century. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of the inside. You see, for the second time in our travels, the church we really wanted to see was in the process of a funeral service.

We slipped into the back pews and listened to the most beautiful signing by a priest. In fact, we were able to make a video of some of the singing, and it is beautiful. We quickly slipped out before the services were over.

The last time we entered a funeral, we were in Munich, Germany. I believe it was St. Michael's church. This church was full of mourners and the singing was so beautiful. We also got a video of part of that.

There was only one other church at the top of our list and though The Trout had done much research on this church, we missed one small detail, thus, no pictures of this church.

We traveled west of Clermont-Ferrand, into the mountains, searching for the town of Orcival and the Basilique Notre-Dame. It was erected during the first half of the 12th century and was founded by the monks from La Chaise-Dieu.

The day was cold and rainy, and we drove through fog, snow showers and a deer running across the road. As we reached the town, we started seeing cars all over the place. They were parked on both side of the road. We were surprised as this town only has a population of 244. As we drove and could see the town down in a valley to the right of us, hundreds and hundreds of people were walking into the town. They were coming from above the town, the other side of the valley. Then we saw policemen directing traffic. My thought was "can this be the biggest garage sale in France?" The Trout, being more realistic wondered if it was the Second Coming. There must have been at least 500 cars.

We knew there was no way we could park and see the church because we would have to walk miles to get to the church. We passed by and kept driving, and more and more cars were parked on the road and people walking. So, what was going on?

We knew there were several holidays in France during May. Since this is usually our month of travel, we have become accustomed to this. However, Ascension day, 40 days after Easter is not celebrated in America as it is in France. And yes, we arrived on Ascension day, in the town of Orcival which must have the largest pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin Mary, next to the Pope visiting Fatima in Portugal. It was an experience we will not forget, even though we did not get to see the church.

It's Sunday!

I thought this was an appropriate posting for a Sunday. On our travels in Montana, we came across this beautiful stone church, St. Mary's Catholic Church in Laurin, Montana. It was built in 1901 and obviously has been lovingly cared for, for over 100 years.
The interior reminded me a lot of churches we have visited in Europe. The town we found this church in has a very small population.
And, just to let you know, it is a very cool day out today, so The Trout started a fire to warm us up. Not surprisingly, he is already out somewhere fishing. Our days in Montana are slowly drawing to a close, so not a minute can be wasted.

A Mere 24 Hours

Things are seldom dull out here in Montana. In a mere 24 hours, we had enough sleet to make the road quite slippery. Then the next day a 3 hour power outage.

We were able to cook our dinner on the gas grill. We had a recipe out of the August 2009 Bon Appetit. "Salmon with Snap Peas, Yellow Peppers, and Dill-Pistachio Pistou. I cooked the orange and yellow peppers and garlic on the grill in a saute pan. Trout grilled the salmon on the grill and we had prepared ahead of time a pistou of fresh chopped dill, finely chopped green onions and finely chopped pistachios combined with a little olive oil.

It was a very tasty dinner even though we do have candles on the shopping list since it was getting a little dark in the house for eating and a little too cold outside to eat.
And the the topper...on the way home from church this morning, we saw a bear. Of course, by the time we backed-up, the little devil had walked deeper into the woods. If you click on the picture and enlarge it, you just might see a glimpse of the bear. It is always exciting and my first thought was "I am glad I am not walking by these woods this morning."

St. Timothy's at Southern Cross

While in Montana during July and August, we like to go to church on Sunday's at St. Timothy's. It is located at 7000 feet altitude, above Georgetown Lake, at the ghost town of Southern Cross. The chapel was dedicated in 1965 by a family in remembrance of their son, Timothy Dillon Bowman, who died at the age of 18 in 1956. Timothy was a theological student at the time of his death. The church is under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church.

The church seats 150 and only has services June through August, but the view over Georgetown Lake is magnificent. You see the Pintler Wilderness area and the Continental Divide with peaks soaring to a height of 11,000 feet. Guest pastors come to spend the summer here and they all fall in love with this Montana view.

The stained glass and the view of the sky, clouds and mountains make this a very special place indeed. We always look forward to coming back and meeting old friends that we make during fellowship time after the service.