Abbaye de Vauclair . . .

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One day this past November we set out for an afternoon in an area known as the Chemin des Dames, to the northeast of the city of Soissons, which was heavily fought over during World War One. The road in question was named "le Chemin des Dames" because it was built in the 1780's at the request of the daughters of Louis XV, who were called "Mesdames", who wanted a better road to get to the Chateau de la Bove at Bouconville than the muddy tracks that existed previously.
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Along the Chemin des Dames there are fourteen French military cemeteries, and ten German cemeteries. These first two photos show one of the German cemeteries near the western end of that historic road.
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Monuments of various sorts abound in the area...
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On a stone wall around the farm at Hurtebise two plaques can be seen, the first commemorating events there in WWI, the second for a battle in May 1940. Many ghosts reside there...
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Just north of the Chemin des Dames lie the ruins of the Abbey of Vauclair, which was destroyed by artillery fire during WWI. The ruins now lie quietly, off the beaten track, another testimonial, as if any were needed, to the idiocy of war.
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Lichen on Abbey stone here seemed to be forming a heart...
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A New World War One Museum . . . Musée de la Grande Guerre

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I've been meaning to do this post for some weeks now, but time just keeps slipping away. Some of you have expressed interest in previous pieces in these pages related to World War One history, in which case this short report may be of particular interest to you. On this past November 11th, a new museum dedicated to World War One opened in France, le Musée de la Grande Guerre, just north of the small city of Meaux, which is a short distance east of Paris, about 40 kms. Nicolas Sarkozy was present for the inaugurational opening. A large part of the museum's holdings came from one large private collection assembled over a 40 year period by a passionate collector, Jean-Pierre Verney. All I can say is that if you are interested in the history of that terrible war, this new museum is an absolute must to visit. I'm ready to go back, because on our first trip there I barely scratched the surface of everything there is to see. If not travelling by car, you can get there by taking a train to Meaux from the Gare de l'Est in Paris, then taking a bus from the Meaux station to the museum. Well worth the short trip to get there !
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Saint Denis Statuary . . .

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A couple of posts back I wrote of an afternoon spent visiting the Basilica in Saint Denis in the good company of a few fellow bloggers. Here are a few more photos from that day, going into a bit more detail on that lovely structure and all it contains. Over the centuries Saint Denis was the principle burying place for French royalty, only a small number were buried elsewhere. During the French Revolution, the royal tombs were sacked, desecrated, and the mortal remains of the monarchs and their kin were unceremoniously dumped in mass graves outside the Basilica. For a fine description of those ghoulish events track down a copy of the novel "Sire" by Jean Raspail. Later the royal bones were returned to the interior, but as it was impossible by then to know which bones belonged to who, they were walled up in the crypt behind plaques bearing all of their names, starting with Dagobert from over a thousand years ago. A lot of very sobering history resides there, a moving place to visit if you are in Paris and have the time. The Paris Metro runs to Saint Denis, the station is just a short walk from the Basilica.
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As I arrived the winter sun was lighting up stained glass from the far side of the nave.
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And this is the interior of that same rose window . . .
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I couldn't help wondering if this fellow had literally been defaced during the depredations of the Revolution ?
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Marie Antoinette . . .
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And Louis XVI . . .
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Many members of the royal family were accompanied into the afterlife by faithful stone compagnons at their feet.
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This is the heart of Louis XVII under glass . . . trimmed of the aorta and superior and inferior vena cava, the pulmonary arteries and veins, removed from its protective covering of the pericardium, though perhaps the remains of the thymus gland are still visible ? A more skilled anatomist than I might be able to offer some insight as to exactly what is visible here, the right auricle and ventricle ? The left ? Some of both ? Ah, the human heart, that vessel of mysteries yet unplumbed.
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These last two are details from down in the crypt, ancient sculpteurs had such vivid visions of humanity.
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