Tours

Cathedral of St. Gaiten

I'm visiting Tours today and tomorrow.  Basically I'm here for two men:  Charles Martel and St. Martin of Tours.  You might not be familiar with Charles Martel, but any student at Cathedral Prep while Msgr. Brady was there would be.  As a history professor before he became rector he used to announce in the halls to those who passed:   Charles Martel / defeated / the Moors / at Tours / in 732.   In one aspect it was a big deal as it allowed Christian Europe to advance out of the middle ages as a homogeneous entity.  Today, the Moors (Muslims) are very much a part of French Society.

Main Entrance to the present-day Basilica of St. Martin 

More importantly was the mark left on Tours and much of Europe of St. Martin of Tours.  A great bishop who was wonderfully pastoral for his people despite longing for monastic life for himself.  Just barely a contemporary of Charles Martel, when St. Martin died just before 400 he was widely hailed as a saint like Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa before him.  There was great devotion to him and Tours became a stop for many northern and eastern Europeans on there way to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (How about that!).

Yesterday when I arrived I went first to the Cathedral named after St. Gaiten who like many of the cathedrals recently visited is named after and houses the first bishop to bring the Christian Faith to the region.  It is large and heaven-ward!  Lifting eyes and spirits to the skies.

Remains of earlier basilica damaged by the Huguenots and closed by an earlier Republic 

Next I went to the Basilica of St. Martin.  The Basilica of St. Martin of St. Martin has had a tough existence.  Fire, Hugenots,  the early French Republics all were not good for the church that was built almost 1,600 years ago over where the venerable saint was laid to rest.   The present-day church is beautiful and when I entered it got even better.  I arrived about 6 or 6:30PM and the Dominican Nuns were just beginning Vespers.  There were about 12 nuns in the sanctuary (three or four of whom were Asian)  and about 14 people in the section before the Altar.  One of the sisters played an Asian instrument similar to a piano or harpsichord.  After the Vespers the sisters came out from the sanctuary to talk with the congregation as I went to the crypt to pray before St. Martin's remains.  I plan to return for Mass and Vespers tomorrow.

                                           Beginning of the Magnificat sung the next evening.

Sanctuary of the Basilica of St. Martin with the Dominican Nuns celebrating Vespers.

As for the rest of Tours -  It's under construction.  Literally everywhere.  Outside my hotel, the main square by the Hotel de Vile (City Hall), up the main boulevard where they are putting in a new ram line that crosses Woodrow Wilson Bridge.   Tours is literally under construction.  If you are in the area three years from now, stop by, it should look wonderful.

My Pack:  All I have until I return to S. Pierre des Solesmes on July 23.

Lastly, a little mishap at the hotel today when I got back from lunch.  I guess the cleaning lady left my room open.  The door was not even fully closed.  Nothing was missing from my pack that I am aware of.  Then again I don't have much in it.  But I told the man at the desk anyway.  It got me a bottle a red wine as a "We're sorry."  "Salut!"