The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-05
PARIS AND ITS PATRONESS.
In All Times OF Trouble the City
Turns to Saint Genevieve.

Turns to saint GenevIeve.
Parfsians are supposed to be hckle
folk. but they have been loyal for 400
years 10 their special patroness. st. Gene
We've. If any one doubts it let him visit
her shrine at the time OF her annual
feast
This occurs on January 3 and is fol-
lowed by the neuvaine, the nine days
of special devotions in her honor At
that time the wonderful gold shrine IS
brilliantly illuminated and there is a
continuous procession OF worshlpers.
AS a matter of fact st. Genevieve did
suffer one very serious lapse from loyalty
one the part Of some Parisians, but It
was not q personal matter and was
marked by some curious features. This
lapse occurred at the time OF the French
Revolution.
The saint was born away back in 423
and, like Joan OF Arc, was shepherdess.
When only fifteen. she began TO lead a
life OF prayer and penance. and her as
tendency was accepted by the inhabitants
Of Paris, 10 whom she twice rendered a
signal service; once she saved them from
Attila, the King Of the Huns, and another
time from famine
Her remains were laid to rest in a
large basilica built where the Pantheon
now stands; it crowned the eminence that
is still called Ia montague Ste. Gene
We've" Here her body was inclosed In a
brass shrine. and on certain public &C.
casions, when, for instance. the country
was afflicted by famine. war or pestrence,
or if the King was in danger OF death,
the jeweled shrine was carried through
the streets.
Nine. de Sevigne describes the process
sion that took place in 1856. Although
the bent OF her mind was hardly a rever-
ent one. she notices the extreme devo-
ton Of the bearers of the shrine, who
walked barefooted over the rough pave
ment to honor their protectress. Their
task was by no means an easy one the
streets Of seventeenth century Paris
were narrow and crowded. the shrine
was covered with two millions worth OF
jewels, and the very enthusiasm Of the
citizens made its progress difficult
At all times, says the Rosary Magazine.
the women Of Paris have had a personal
feeling, half filial, half sisterly for the
compassionate shepherdess who, accord
Ing to tradition, kept TO the end heart
widely open TO the needs Of her fellow
countrywomen. In their passionate wish
to touch her shrine they used ito throw
themselves upon it." say the old histor-
fans, some of whom are more shocked
than edited by this extravagant be-
havior.
Under the reign Of Louis XIV the an
cient basilica around which hung the
traditions of centuries was replaced by
the Pantheon. which ceased to be a
church when the revolution broke out.
One Of the first acts of the revolutionary
government was TO burn the relics Of St.
Genevieye, but the men in power, fearing
an outburst among the people. whose
love for their sanity countrywoman was
a part OF them, committed the outrage
at night.
When order was re-established the
Pantheon was restored to religious pur-
poses, but il now serves only as burial
place for the great men Of France. The
OF Puvfs de Chavannes are there
to remind the visitors of st. Genevieves
past connection with the spot where
her basilica once stood. but the religious
in her honor take place in
the neighboring Church Of st. Etienne
du Mont Here. inclosed in q gfided
shrine, are the fragments OF her old
tomb. the tomb before which the medic
val pilgrims, kings and bourgeois. knelt
from the sixth TO the eighteenth century.