When I first traveled to Europe, I was totally in owe of the churches. Not only the facade looked exotic to me, but also much more sophisticated, arty and full of history than the churches in America. Years of traveling passed, I now often hail: A church is a church is a church, and usually skip them.
One of the exceptions was a little chapel. When my friend Tina said she would like to see the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence while we were in that area of France, I had to agree because she was the one that did the research. Once walked in, it surprised both of us. I have never seen a church more alive, stimulating, and full of hope. After so many churches, I came to believe that churches are designed to make people feel the power and peace of religion. Yet this very small chapel, designed by Matisse, simply refreshed my sense, and the one thing came to my atheist mind was: Heaven!
Another thing that made this place unique was, I usually remembered the facade of a church and forgot how the inside looked. For this little chapel, I did not have any recollection of the outside, but surely will remember these images for good.
Did the church designed by Matisse, or Matisse just draw the mural? It is really one of the highlights of the trip. By the way, the lady didn't allow us to take photos, so we have to lay low...
ReplyDeleteGood question. Checked the wikipedia, there was a good story behind this chapel. Even with the small size, Matisse spent 4 years on "the chapel, its architecture, its stained glass windows, its interior furnishings, its murals, and the vestments of the priests".
ReplyDeleteI don't have any recollection of the chapel other than the interior. Photo does preserve memory.
I kind of remembered taking photo was prohibited inside, (hence the odd angel of my pictures, taking in a haste...) but there are so many of them on the internet... Ha ha, it was just too beautiful not to take pictures.