Friday, August 20, 2010

Oh My Lourdes

The final installment of our summer holiday in the Pyrenees.

Lourdes. We went there. It rained.

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The main chapel at Lourdes.

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Inside the chapel, well, it was breathtaking.

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This artwork looked like paintwork from afar.

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But it was actually all mosaic.

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This really looks like a painting:

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But when you look closer, you can see the mosaic detail. The workmanship is incredible, the detailed piecing and shading of the picture - look at the rays radiating from Jesus' halo. I can only imagine how long these pieces took to finish. 

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I think Cate Blanchett was the model for this Mary:

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There were plenty of beautiful forms and patterns to inspire quilters.

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There is no denying the beauty of the chapel, but downtown Lourdes soon brought this out-of-practice Catholic back to earth.

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Many, many shops selling any kind of religious statuette or emblem you could think up.

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Can you imagine popping down to St Tropez and engaging in a bit of topless sunbathing on your Virgin Mary beach towel? 

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Despite my cynicism I still drank the water at the holy spring. And caressed the stone walls of the grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette.

Catholicism is hard to kick. 

1 comment:

Eva said...

Those mosaics are incredible! And the Cate Blanchett resemblance indeed is uncanny!

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