The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-06-04
FIRST And LAST
CHURCH SHELLED
Mezieres Victim of Hun FeroSlty
Even Up TO Signing of
Armistice.
BELLS ARE CARRIED AWAY
After Suffering In 1921 It's First AZ
tack Sacred Edifice Got Germans
Parthian Shot-FulI of His
toric interest.
BY M. Liable A. P0uLiN.
Qn the New York Herald.)

Dy Ms Liable y. FOOLiNs
Gin the New York Herald.)
Mezieres, Ardennes, France.-It IS a
fact known to everyone that the Ger
mans, after having desperately begged
for the armistice. shelled the town OF
Mezieres. even up to the exact mo
ment Of the beginning of the arInistice.
cowardly and without any military
reason whatever. They aimed espe-
cially at the monuments. which were
well known to them. as they had &C.
cupied the city for four years.
Among the latter the church is es-
pecially to be mentioned 1T is fine
Gothic flamboyant structure with five
naves, the largest and perhaps The
most beautiful of the country. This
church has had. among other princely
visitors, the honor Of celebrating the
marriage ceremony of Charles TX and
Elisabeth Of Austria (1570). We make
bold to assert that 1t was "the last
of the churches shelled." A fact less
known, although not less interesting.
Is that 1t was also "the first of the
churches TO be shelled."
Begun in 1899. II was % years old
when in 1921 the inperials besieged
Mezieres. defended by Bayard. the
knight without fear or reproach. His
torians relate that shells were EN-
\ ployed for the first time during this
Siege. The enemy shelled the town
for exactly a month, from August 81
until September 81, and one part was
entirely destroyed. Tie monuments
as well as the church were struck by
the projectiles. as is proved by the
archives of the epoch, kept in the de-
pository of the department OF Me-
Eieres. Several large holes had TO be
hlended in the roof Of the church
steeple as 'the glass frame OF the
round of the steeple which had been
broken during the siege"
Many Times Bombarded.
One can notice that the lombard
ments OF this epoch, even compared to
those that the history Of after times
was to note. were not--as certain
people might belieye-'games of chill
dren." The church of Mezieres was
however. to undergo more terrible
ones on three different occasions.
Completed with difficulty IN 1920.
that Is to say a hundred and twenty.
seven years after the laying OF the
foundation stone, II was soon to have
lived the golden age Of its life. To
say nothing of the fire which broke
out in It's steeple t16s2), neither OF the
acts of vandalism Of the reyoutionIsts.
let us speak only OF the commandments
which it suffered.
The Prussians shelled II in 1915. Al
inscription on the wall reminds tia
reader that 1t was nearly ruined. II
lost its beautiful stained-glass win
dows OF the sixteenth century and the
exterior plnnacles were seriously dam
aged. Several shells penetrated into
the interior, causing great deal OF
damage
Hardly had the damage Of 1915 been
repaired when a new cloud arose on
the horizon and threatened Me2leres
In 1870. New invasion, new fears and
new ruins for our town on the from
tier.
The slst Of December, 1870. and Isl
or January, 1S71-German Christina:
: box-the enemy again shelled Me
: Eierss. The church was principally
aimed at and was once more the vic
tim of the shells, which spoiled tn,
stseple. burst the vaults. broke tn,
sculptures and stalned-glass windows
| Loses Peal Of Bells.
II During nearly forty-seven years
these ruins had been repaired. TIT
| church OF Mezieres had passed tn,
greater part OF this great war withou
damage, but In 1917 and 1913 the Ger
mans took AWAY the five beautifu
bells. the most tuneful and the loud
est In the country, and what is wors
broke the organ in order to get dow
The bells. But the church itself re-
manned unInjured. 1t would have bee
too much luck for our church, the DIES
tiny OF which seemed united to all on
national woes. On November 10, les
than twenty-four hours before the al
mstice, the fury OF the retreating er
envy poured out In the vile bombart
mcnt of Mezieres, which lasted twef
~ hours. Among other buildings III
Church Of Our Lady was struck. A
the stained.glass windows were eithe
totally or partly broken, and what
more important. the ilamboyant mu
Hons of many windows were broker
The church was struck by man
bombs, some OF which hit the lanter
of the steeple, the tower OF the sigma
man. Some struck the top, some n
vault, some the interior Of the coul
, terforts.
Thanks to the nrmlstice, which can
( just In time 10 prevent the enen
from destroying Mezieres totally, q
5 damage, though considerable, Is M
r beyond repair But It is certain, to
that this bombardment Is nnoth
proof OF the lnslncerlty and the sa
agery of our enemies, and-a fa
worth notlclng-that our church, Il
first church to be spelled in hlstor
was also the last.