The Professor's Wife: Sacre Coeur and Montmartre

Note: Were all of you aware that you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger and easier to see?

I was so busy watching out of the windows this morning that I forgot to take a picture. The police were out directing traffic at the round about we are adjacent to. All of the lights were flashing amber. Some honking going on. (Which is illegal in Paris). And one road blocked off by a parked police car.
We were not sure what was going on. However, later today the Professor read that the president of Iran is in town. So maybe..
But when we got on the Metro we did not have to pay anything. All of the gates were open and we could simply walk through. Was this because of the traffic snarl up on the street? Or because of striking taxi drivers? We really didn't know. But we did have to use our passes when we came back home this afternoon.

Sacre Coeur Basilica

No photographs may be taken inside the Basilica.

There was still a large nativity display that I would have liked to take a picture of.

However, there was actually a service going on when we entered the

church. A woman was singing with the congregation singing along with her. We assumed she was a nun who had a microphone. She had the voice of an angel.

Communion was given. We were interested to see

that both a priest and a nun gave wafers to worshipers who were lined up to take the sacrament in remembrance of the Savior. Some receiving it on the tongue while

others took the emblem in their hands.

Then the priest gave a benediction on all.

Diocese of Saint-Pierre at Montmartre

A second church building that is easy to overlook because it sits

next to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.

What captured my attention was a glimpse of three crosses behind a wall in the courtyard.

We never could figure out how to get access to the courtyard but I am still curious about

three almost life size depictions of men dying on crosses. Is it permanent? Left over from

some Easter celebration?

Saint Antoine

I was enchanted with this two tone statue of St Anthony and the Christ child. I cannot find a copy of him on the Internet so I am especially glad that I took a picture of him. He is gentle and beautiful. I think that this depiction is far more tender than any of the others that I have seen.

Saint Antoine is the patron saint of lost objects so it seems appropriate that I should admire him.

Although he was a Franciscan monk who lived in the 13th century this article about him says

that art depicting him holding the baby Jesus did not become popular until the 18th century.

I assumed that I could learn about this statue online so did not read the information next to him on the wall (or rather have the Professor translate). I wonder who the artist was. I might have to go visit Montmartre again.