My last Monday in Europe surely did not go to waste. For once the weather in Paris was in our favor and Adrian and I took full advantage of that. The day started off with Metaphysics class and ended with Adrian and I running through the Paris Campus doors just in time for dinner. St. John's planned a trip for us to see St. Denis Cathedral right outside of Paris. It was the first Gothic Church built in the history of Gothic Art.
The Cathedral contains a crypt with tombs that has nearly every King that ever ruled in France with the exception of only three. The crypt also contains the bodies of the King's families including Queens and children. The history this Cathedral has is really astonishing and it was a really fascinating trip. I particularly enjoyed the Rose Glass window inside the Church. The inside of the Church reminded me a lot of Notre Dame.
Some of the most noted and famous tombs were that of:
Francois I and his wife
Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI
(a little difficult to see because of the lighting)
Henry II and Catherine de' Medici
Other famous tombs were that of Charles of Naples, Henry I, Robert II, Philip IV and Leon V of Armenia. Here is just a glimpse of the hundreds of other tombs at St. Denis:
The tomb that struck me the most was the tomb for a little girl. She was a princess that died at a young age.
The tombs were all life size. The King's I noticed were all very small. Our adviser Mike explained the height they reached back then was a lot shorter than that of the modern man. The average height of the King's was around 3'8. They all seemed so tiny. Probably the most disturbing thing I saw at St. Denis was the heart of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette son. It was encased and inside of a monument. It was all shriveled up and brown... I guess I will spare the rest of the details. After seeing the heart encased Adrian and I decided we were ready to leave the crypt!
After St. Denis Adrian and I decided to head to Les Invalides where the tomb of Napoleon is located. We weren't sure if we had to pay to get in or not. Much to our delight because we are students it ended up being free. I have walked by this building so many times, but I never really noticed what it was. Adrian did some research and figured out it was where Napoleon's body was so wee decided to check it out. The building is huge with a bunch of different entrances. We followed the signs that lead us to Napoleons tomb.
Napoleons tomb was massive and the beauty of the dome the tomb was located inside of seemed perfect for Napoleon, given who he was. The tomb itself was located underground, but could be seen both above ground and underground. It was located in the center of the dome. Behind Napoleons tomb there was also an alter, designed lavishly with gold.
View from above the Tomb
View next to the tomb
After venturing around Les Invalides Adrian and I decided we had one more stop...The Eiffel Tower! Even though we have both seen the Eiffel Tower more times than I can count at this point...it never gets old. The weather was really beautiful and all of Paris seemed to be out enjoying in. We sat in the grass for a little and then proceeded to walk up close. At one point I was looking up at the magnificent structure thinking a week from today I am going to be wishing I could be right in this very spot. Its really crazy how fast life moves and how quickly things can change. I tried to soak in the moment as best as possible...and I took lots of pictures. Next week at this time I will probably be looking through them. So weird to think my study abroad days are coming to a close. Seeing the Eiffel Tower will always be one of the highlights of my trip.
Well, another brief Blog post!!! I had a few minutes in between homework to write. I just do not want to leave any last detail out before it is time to start preparing to go back to New York. Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great Tuesday! I am off from school for a French Holiday.... which means...HOMEWORK DAY!! :)
XOXO
Shann
fascinating!
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