Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-07
81 n. LAnRE Z. PoIII.IN

Il K i X
aIeziers. Ardennes. France Il Is 4
fact known to every one that the Ger.
mans. after having desperately begged
Tor The armissica, sheiled the town 81
siezieres. even up 10 the exact moment
81 the beginning Of the armistice, COW
araly and without any military reason
whatever They aimed especially at
Tie monuments which we're veil
k,.oxll to them, as they had occupied
the city for four years
among the latter the church Is e.
pecially III BE mentioned. IL II d fine
Gothic fiamboyant structure with five
naves, the largest and perhaps the
most beautiful 81 the country This
church has had. among other princely
visitors. the honor OF celebrating the
marriage ceremony Of Charles IA and
elisabeth. Of Austria t157ol We make
bold to assert that lit was the last
or the churches shelled. A fact less
known. although not less interesting
IL. that 1t was also .tlie first OF the
churches to be sheIled. "
Begun In 1899, it was twenty j NO
years old, when, in 1921. the Imperials
besieged Mezieres defended by lay.
ard. the knight without fear and Re.
proach. Historians relate that shells
we're employed for the first time dur
ing this siege The enemy shelled the
town. for exactly month from All
gust 81 until September 81, and one
part was entirely DESTROYED The
monuments as well ais the church were
struck by the projecttles as Is proved
hy the archives Of the epoch kept ri
the depository Of the department of
Mezieres. Several large holes had 10
be mended III the roof Of the cilurth
steepIe as the glass frame Of the
round top of the steeple which had
been broken during the siege
One can notice that the lombard
aients Of this epoch, even compared to
those that the history OF after times
was to note, were not as certasa
people might believe games Of chsl-
ciren. The church OF Mezieres Was,
however, to undergo more terrible
ones on three different occasions.
Completed with ditticulty in 1926,
thar Is ID say I27 years after the lay
ing Of the foundation stone, II was
soon 10 have lived the golden age Of
its life. To say nothing Of the fire
which broke out in Its steeple 1852.
neither 81 the acts of vandalism Of
the reyolutioniists, let us speak only
Of The commandments which Il suf.
fered
BOmbaTded In 1915.
The Prussians shelled it in 1915. An
inscription on the wall reminds the
reader that 1t was nearly ruined It
lost It's beautiful stained glass vim
dows of the sixteenth century and the
exterior pinnacles were seriously dam
aged. Several shells penetrated into
the Interior, causing d great deal Of
damage. One bomb dropped ii the
vault OF the collateral on the Gospel
side and stayed suspended after hav-
ing advanced until the last point Of
contact which could stop II, without
going further, One can see II at any
time
The bomb Of 1915 Is not small
matter OF attraction for the visitors
who travel through Mezieres The
piety of the population Of Mezieres
1.-THE Maceriens1 did not hesitate 70 AT
tribute this miracle 70 Our Lady Of
Hope. the Black Virgin. the senera-
.tion Of whom traces It's origin back
to the remotest antiquity and whose
statute had been transferred some
years before to the church. To the