SILLINESS -- The Borrowed Keys
Channel: slobomotion
Date: 2014-04-27

There is a 17th c. completely troglodyte (carved out of solid rock) church in Haute-Isle, France, along the river Seine.  If you phone La Mairie (the village hall) ahead of time and leave your name and say when you'll drop by, the lady will not unlock the door, but she'll open the window, take your ID as security, and cheerfully pass you the key to a wonderful place.

I have at least one clip up of the interior, which did not quite have the "jubé" (rood screen) back in place -- it had just been restored -- and was a few days or weeks from re-installation.  The single nave is incredibly long, high and wide and it's cool and lovely within.  The bell tower pops out of a rocky hill just above, and does ring.  The adjacent cemetery and memorials are still used, kept up and there are special services here still, including the festival days for the Annunciation and Saint-Thibaut, to whom this church/chapel is consecrated.  There were regular Masses and services here up into the early 20th c.

This is a lovely drive from Paris, through the gorgeous, historic Vexin region, along the Seine into the beginning of Normandy.  It takes a bit over an hour and a half, usually, to get here by car from Paris.  Giverny, where we started our day, took two hours to reach.  We also visited Vernon.  The excellent castle of La Roche-Guyon is just about a mile and a half from here, Les Andelys are not far off ... it's a stunning area.

Digital video recording, comments and annotations copyright 2014 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A.
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