Mont Martre Sacre Coeur
Our first destination yesterday was Montmartre, and we got (way) up to Sacre-Coeur. After the hordes and long lines at Notre-Dame the previous day, it felt so peaceful and serene up there, and the church itself, seemingly as huge as Notre-Dame, managed to overcome that challenge to still be graceful and inspiring. A comment of Rob's got me thinking about the question of, for an alien being from another planet, what could be learned about these mysterious human attributes called "spirituality" and "religion" *just* from examining the architecture of Notre-Dame? And what different, or overlapping, conclusions might one draw from Sacre-Coeur? We arrived at Sacre-Coeur during a Mass, and it was wonderful seeing the variety of appearances of people coming to the altar. Some of the music we've stumbled into also has been very impressive. In Sacre Coeur, as well as in Troyes, they must have been playing Messiaen -- very forward, complex, grinding huge sonorities, and shifting multi-tonalities. Gripping and breath-taking stuff.
posted by robduisberg @ 4:19 AM
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