Paris: With Pen and Pencil

RE

OF NOTR

e, in the solemnity and grandeur of interior, no city in the world, except Rome, can excel them. The church of the Madeleine is the most imposing of all; indeed,

soon in sight of the two majestic towers of the old cathedral. You can see them, in fact, from all

e of the church. Workmen were scattered over different portions of the building and towers, (this was on my first visit to Paris,) engaged in renewing their ancient beauty. My first emotion upon entering, was one of disappointment, for although externally Notre Dame is the finest church in Paris,

nstantly required to take it off. I was reminded of the fact that but a few days before, when entering a Jewish synagogue, upon taking of

ssed it during many centuries. The organ is an excellent one. It is forty-five feet high, thirty-six broad, and has three thousand four hundred

here are bas-reliefs representing the death of the Virgin-Christ surrounded by angels, the Virgin at the feet of Christ in agony, and a woman selling hersel

ized in the presence of Louis XIV. and Queen Theresa. Its weight is thirty-two thousand pounds-the clapper alone weighing a thousand pounds. A clock in one of the towers is world-r

rtion of the work which was executed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries still remaining. The other portions were built in 1407, by the duke of Burgundy, and are of a

d, and in one short hour all its rich stores of ancient and modern literature were thrown into the Seine. The palace itself was so completely ruined, that the government afterward removed every vestige of it. Nothing is more terrible in this world than a

sun, and it seemed to me that I could stand for hours to look at them. It is not so with the Madeleine. Its architectural beauty is great, but it is new-it has no a

AIN L'AU

r form, and was destroyed by the Normans, in 886. A monastery was established here in 998, and the church at that time was dedicated to St. Germain l'Auxerrois. The ecclesiastics were formed into a college, to which were

ace of the archbishop was also completely devastated. St. Germain l'Auxerrois was now closed, and remained so until 1838. It was then restored, and reopened for public worship. At one time it was one of the finest interiors in Paris, the royal painters and artists vying with each other in its adornment. It is now, however, only as a third-rate church in its decoration. It is cruciform in shape, with an octagonal termination. At one corner there is a tower whi

ttle side doors, the friend

enturies have worn awa

n into the stepping-stone at the entrance. It

the Byzantine style, and the fresco paintings were as varied and beautiful as the traceries of the frost upon our autumnal w

truck with a series of frescoes which were executed to illustrate the most important precepts of Christ. One is that of a warrior, sheathing his sword in the presence of his deadly enemy. It would well grace the walls of a non-resistant, but not those of a French church, which ever reverberate to the music of the drum. The church has generally illustrated that precept of Christ by pictures, not by work

several chapels. The first in the southern aisle contains a magnificent fresco by M. Duval, representing Christ crowning the Virgin. Not far from it there is a

design is by the donor-the wife of Alphonso de Lamartine, the poet. I noticed in one compartment some admirable traceries in solid oak, and before the

evotion kneeling before the altar, or at the confessional. It was not Sunday, yet many people were constantly passing in and out. I might p

rapidly dissipated the good morals of the nation. Never was there a time in the history of New England when vice of every sort made such progress a

e commencement of the massacre of St. Bartholomew. While I stood there it seemed to me that I could go back to the past-to that night of horror when the Protestants were gathered at the fête of St. Bartholomew. When twelve had struck, in the dead

ermain l'Auxerrois that the beautiful Ga

E CHA

f its most striking features. It was erected by St. Louis in 1248, and set apart for the reception of relics bought of the emperor of Constantinople. The Chapelle consists of an upper and a lower chapel-the upper communicating with the old palace of the ancient kings of France.

nd traceries, and also at about half-height with a crown of thorns. The different sides of the Chapelle are in the same style-with buttresses between the windows, gables surmounting these, and a fine open parapet crowning all. The roof is sloping, and the height is over a hundred feet. The spire measures, from the vaulting, seventy feet. We entered by a stair-case the upper chapel, and an exquisite view presented itself. A single apar

rayers. Some of the relics are still preserved, and consist of a crown of thorns, a piece of the cross upon which Christ was crucified, and ma

singular, the head of it became renowned for his litigous disposition. The poet Boilea

courts of justice. The internal decorations were, however, many of them destroyed. The church, as it exists now, in a state of complet

the age of the building as quietly, as a farmer would survey his promising wheat-field. I reminded him that I came from a land where such things do not a

LE EXP

eine church, but was afterward set apart to commemorate the sad fate of the elder Bourbons. When Louis XVI. and his queen were executed, in 1793, they were obscurely buried on this spot. A friend, M. Descloseaux, at once car

ne who has the curiosity to see, the plainness with which the queen was bur

an orchard, with the view of shielding them from the fury of the populace. His plan was successful, and it is said that he sent every year

offins was preserved, as also were all remains of the Swiss Guards, and buried on the spot. Over it an expiatory chapel was built, with buildings adjoining, the whole f

arie Antoinette. Each is supported by an angel, and on the pedestal of the king his will is inscribed in letters of gold, upon a blac

tain very fine candelebra, and on a bas-relief t

ance is written in her chapels and churches. The stranger cannot, if he would, shut out the fact from his sight. It glare

e day of her execution. Her downfall, the wretched neglect with which her poor body was treated, and the obscure burial, were all before me. Only

lways to me the history of Marie Antoinette has been one of the most sorrowful I ever read. I have few sympathies for kings, and much less for kingly tyrants, but I could never withhold them from

MADE

DE LA M

ant one, for the style of its architecture is not sufficiently solemn to suit my ideas of a place where God is publicly worshiped. It is, however, o

battles." The necessary funds were given and architects were set at work immediately upon it. But Napoleon's plans were frustrated, and in 1815 Louis XVIII. restored the building to its original destination, and ordered that monuments should be erected in it to Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Louis XVII., and Mme. Elizabeth. The revolution of 1830, however, interrupted this work, and it was not till the reign of Louis Phillippe, that it was completed. The entire cost of the Madeleine was two millions six hundred and fifteen thousand and eight hundred dollars. It stands on a raised platform, three hundre

in a suppliant attitude; while He is pardoning her sins. On the right hand the angel of Pity gazes down upon the poor woman, with a look of deep satisfaction. On the other hand is the figure of Innocence,

y, with disheveled hair and negligent dress, clings to her guilty paramour; Hypocrisy, with the face of a young woman, a ma

oe. This is the largest sculptured pediment in the world, and occupied more than two years in its execution. T

trates one of the Ten Commandments. In the first, Moses commands the tables to be obeyed; in the second, the blasphemer is struck; in the third, God reposes after the creation; i

ich, together with the pulpit, are carved out of oak. The walls of the church are lined with the finest marbles, and each chapel contains a statue of the patron saints. The architecture of the interior it is useless for me to attempt to sketch, it is in such a profusely ornamented style. Fine paintings adorn the different chapels. One represents Christ preaching, and the conve

Savior holds in his right hand the symbol of redemption, and is surrounded by the apostles. On his left, the history of the early church is illustrated. St. Augustine, the Empero

Montmorenci, Godefroy de Bouillon, and Robert of Normandy. The struggles of the Greeks to thr

ia. The Wandering Jew's ghostly form is upon the canvas, and, to come down to a later day, J

al group represents the Magdalene in a rapturous posture, borne to heaven on the wings of angels. A tunic is wrapped around her body

w it only as a fine building-an imitation of the Parthenon-and I was struck with admiration. But when I was told that it was a temple for the warship of God, I was shocked, and still more so when I entered it. The interior, as a collection of fine paintings and statues, as a specimen of gorgeous Gothic architecture, is one of the best in the world; but

love not the true refinement in matters of religion. Having little vital piety, it is impossible for them to judge of church architecture. Solemn old St. Paul's in London, will always linger in my memory as a fit temple of the living G

F ST. FE

in the forenoon of the 13th of July, in an open carriage, with but one postillion, intending to call upon the royal family at Neuilly, and pr

of your horses?"

de them," w

nnot hold them," ag

sir," was

nd he was carried into the house of a grocer near at hand, where he expired at four o'clock the same day, entirely unconscious. The royal family were with him when he died. The house with the adjacent p

n height, is built in the Lombard-Gothic

ng France leaning over, and near, the French flag drooping at her feet. There are four circular windows of stained glass, with St. Raphael, Hope, Faith, and Charity, upon them. There are fourteen pointed windows, stained with the patron saints of the royal family. Behind the altar the very room is preserved in which the duke died-the sacristy of the chapel now. The oaken presses, chairs, and prayer-desk are all clothed in black, giving an air of gloom to the whole apartment. Opposite the entrance there is a large painting by Jacquard, representing the death of the duke. He is lying upon a couch with his head supported by physicians; his father is opposite, apparently stupefied b

t of complete melancholy, though it was rather too luxurious to express deep grief. Sorrow which is poignant, is not expressed i

NCENT

would never do to omit that of St. Vincent de Paul. It

feet by one hundred and eighty. At the southern end, there are two large towers with Corinthian pilasters. The c

ty feet in height, gives access to it. The altar-piece is a crucifix on wood. Behind it is a stained window, representing the Virgin and the Savior. The chapels have also beautifully stained windows. There are no oil-paintings in St. Vincent de Paul, but in other respects it is as faulty as the Madeleine. It m

endor, and the feelings inspired by a contemplation of it, are not the ones appropriate for a place of worship. The choir of the church is fitted up with stalls, a gilt balustrade separating it from the rest of the nave. The walls are adorned with rich marbles. The altar is executed in the highest style of magnificence. Behind it is a p

high, and from them crowds of people during the revolution saw the executions which took place but a short distance away. A mob once filled the steps, and were cleared away by Napoleon's cannon. The duke of

except Notre Dame, in Paris, and is

a church built in the Italia

which may be had on Sundays and festival days, for two cents each, of an old woman who attends them. This custom is a singular one to the American, accustomed as he is to well-cushion

OF ST.