Before I rattle on about a museum and a medieval cathedral, please know that all of you who sent (blackmailed) birthday messages made my day -- thanks so much for your kind remembrances!
The Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages, (Musee National du Moyen Age) sits in the middle of a busy shopping area, surrounded by a medieval garden that was designed around one of its prized exhibits, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. The building itself is a remodeled townhouse associated with the Cluny Abbey, but its foundations are partially those of Roman baths, built approximately 200 A.D. The "frigidarium" of the baths is open to the public as an exhibit and reveals the original construction, as do some of the outer walls in the garden. (Picture below)
Individual rooms in the Cluny include all the trappings that make a middle-ages fanatic tremble. Most of the art displayed is of sacred subjects, including stunning examples of stained glass removed from cathedrals and churches during restorations. What makes this display unique is its proximity to the viewer. The story goes that the elaborate, massive windows in Gothic cathedrals were used not only as decoration and inspiration, but also as instruction for all who viewed them -- a Scriptural-based comic book. While this may have been the intent, it defies my imagination that Pierre and Petunia Peasant would have been able to decipher the symbolism of the art, to say nothing of being able to see the individual "stories" rising 50 feet above their heads. It is amazing to see these typical panels so close, to view the artistry of design and the excellence of its execution.
The Cluny also includes treasure of the times, including stunning jewelry and Church objects. (Pictures below). As in many museums, flash photography was not permitted, and the lighting was too low to capture many of the objets d'art.
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are considered to be one of the greatest expression of medieval art thus far discovered. The six panels, which depict the five senses plus the heart's desire, are hung in their own rotunda and, had it not been for the invasion of French high schoolers, I could have stayed there for hours.
The Cluny is a small specialty museum, but one of my favorites and, in my view, certainly worth a few hours on a trip to Paris.
Laon Cathedral and City -- (Chivalry Lives).
This is the trip that ran afoul of Murphy's Law and my own feeble traveling skills. When I finally found myself actually ON the train to Laon, I soon found mayself being escorted OFF the train and onto a bus, which delayed the two-hour trip by almost an hour. One of France's rail lines is involved in a labor dispute and the hapless passenger pays the price. On the bright side, I was able to see (many, many) back roads of agricultural Picardy that I would not have otherwise seen.
The town of Laon is split into two parts: the older in the upper section and the newer in the lower. The two areas are linked by the only fully-automated municipal cable car system in the world. I didn't have time to explore much of the medieval city -- even if I'd had the time, I'm not sure I would have done much exploring as medieval streets, while quaint to view and rich in food for the imagination, are hard to walk on -- especially when the city is built on many hills.
I spied the cathedral on my way up the hill in the tram but lost it once I got into the middle of town. (Even a structure as massive as a cathedral can vanish when you're completely surrounded by three-storey buildings.) I politely interrupted a conversation between two old men (my age) and asked which way to the cathedral. One of them took my arm, led me up the hill, waited patiently while I snapped a couple of photos, walked me into the Tourisme office and bought me some material on Laon. He then escorted me into the cathedral, wished me a "bonne visite" and vanished. He spoke almost no English and I've talked about my miserable French, but there was a lot of nodding and smiling. Petunia Peasant might have believed this was an enounter with an angel.
You might think from the similarity of the photos of these Gothic cathedrals that they look and feel alike, but that is far from the truth. Although many share the same architectural concepts, having been modeled after one another, each cathedral imparts its own identity, its own unique presence.
Laon Cathedral displays five enormous towers plus one unfinished tower, and feels light and airy inside with its long nave, an open choir with a flat, rather than a rounded end, and graceful columns, even though these columns bear most of the weight of the church. Buttressing had not been discovered at the time of its construction and was only added later. As Laon was built a century before Amiens or Chartres, the facades of the church were considered remarkable at the time of construction for their intricacy and artistry.
Laon carries its own miraculous legend that has been commemorated on the towers of the western facade. Guibert de Nogent, a monk who lived during the construction, told of a yoke of oxen having difficulty hauling its heavy load of stone up the steep hill. A mysterious ox appeared to help then disappeared as soon as the wagon reached the top. There are now colossal carved oxen adorning the tower, under the careful watch of their gargoyle friends.
Of all the cathedrals I've seen so far, Laon Cathedral is one of the smaller and least notable, but the preservation of the medieval character of the town itself would make this journey worthwhile -- certainly the most interesting city I've encountered.
