Sainte Geneviève is the Patron Saint of Paris. She was born in 420 and is known for her piety and acts of charity. In 451, Attila the Hun threatened to attack Paris, but she convinced the inhabitants to stay and pray and they would be protected. Atilla ended up attacking Orléans instead and was defeated.
Her remains were burned during the French Revolution. All that was left was the stone slab on which her body lay and a finger bone. These relics are now enshrined in one of our favorite churches, Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, near the Panthéon.
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| Kelly and Kate in front of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont |
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| Interior of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont where Sainte Geneviève's relics are kept |
Today as I was walking home from the Saturday Marché (with my roquefort cheese, bananas and apples), I was stopped by a man with a paper grocery bag full of rolls. First of all, I am always flattered when a French person stops me because it means I must not look too foreign. And if I don't have to open my mouth and say too much, all the better. He said "Servez-vous," which means help yourself. So I took a roll. He said the church up the rue Cler, Saint-Pierre du Gros-Caillou, was celebrating the 1600th anniversary of Saint Geneviève's birth tonight and handed me some literature. 1600 years!
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| Pain de Sainte Geneviève |
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| Agenda for Sainte Geneviève's Celebration |
The agenda talks about distributing the Pain de Sainte Geneviève in the morning to people who live in the quartier of the church. Then tonight there is a concert at the church and a presentation about her life, ending with a prayer to her. I love the little things that happen every day just living in Paris and being part of a community.
You know Paris so well. Is the picture of the bread the roll the lovely French man offered you? Raisin? Currents?
ReplyDeleteYes that is the roll from his grocery bag. It had raisins and I ended up eating it with some of my favorite French butter and it was really good!
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