st. denis

September 5, 2011
kings
One of the great inevitables of Europe is the plethora of churches. Large cities have their landmark churches, tiny towns have their forgotten churches, and there are too many to count in between. I've always loved churches. I'm not Catholic, but I always find a moment of peace while walking along the wooden pews and gazing at the stained glass.
stained glass
My favorite is when you can see light reflected in different colors on a somber, gray surface.
tomb for kings
The Cathedral of St. Denis became famous when the kings of France chose it as their designated burial spot. There are tombs throughout the cathedral commemorating the centuries of French kings. The city itself is rich with history and has grown in its own way right alongside Paris.
inside
gothic arches
model for notre dame
blue skies in st. denis
The most exciting thing I learned about the cathedral is that it was the model for the Notre Dame. Of course Notre Dame is significantly larger and more well-known, but the facades are similar and you can see the similarities in the gothic architecture between the two. My favorite part about the cathedral? It was just down the street from Vanessa's flat so we could see it when we looked out the kitchen window.

13 comments:

  1. woww, these pictures are amazing. i especially like the first three.

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  2. oh, i love that photo with the rainbow light shining through. and the last one. how cool that you could see it right out the window- that's so much better than some american skyscraper

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  3. I agree, churches are so beautiful.

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  4. Saint Denis is one of my favorite churches. When I went to school in Paris, I tried to go into every church I came across while walking about. I love the history and the beauty of each church.
    Beautiful photos!
    xx
    callie

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  5. That's kind of one thing I miss about Europe: all the beautiful churches and architecture.

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  6. I went to so many gorgeous churches when I was in Europe this summer. When I was in Brugge, we went to a church that housed one of Michelangelo's Madonnas, the only one outside of Italy (I believe that's the case, I could be wrong...). It was breathtaking.

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  7. That sounds amazing-- I love everything Michelangelo!

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  8. These photos are so dreamlike, you really capture something a little extra with these...

    What a stunning blog btw! I'm thrilled to discover such a beautiful blog; seriously your pictures really take me places :)
    following!

    annie | WEMAKEPLANS

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  9. wow, beautiful cathedral! I love the glass windows!

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  10. I'm a church fan as well. One of my favorite things about Europe was seeing so many beautiful ones.

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