Wells Cathedral (Part Seven).

The Great West Front,

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Attribution:

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Author: Diliff

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

His Brass Lectern, given in thanksgiving, can be seen in the Cathedral. He donated the Nave’s Great West Window at a cost of £140 [Editor: £20,000 in 2024 money].

During Bathurst’s long tenure, the Cathedral was restored, but, in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Puritan soldiers damaged The Great West Front, tore Lead from the Roof to make bullets, broke the Windows, smashed the Organ and Furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the Nave.[57]

Restoration began again under Thomas Ken, who was appointed by The Crown in 1685 and served until 1691. He was one of seven Bishops imprisoned for refusing to sign King James II’s “Declaration of Indulgence”, which would have enabled Catholics to resume positions of political power, but popular support led to their acquittal.

Decorated Vault, Wells Cathedral.

Source: Own work.

Author: Josep Renalias

This File: 7 February 2008.

User: Lohen11

(Wikimedia Commons)

Ken refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to William III and Mary II, because James II had not abdicated and with others, known as the Nonjurors, was put out of Office.[58]

His successor, Richard Kidder, was killed in the Great Storm of 1703, when two Chimney Stacks on the Palace fell on him and his wife, while they were asleep in bed.[59][60]

By the middle of the 19th-Century, a major restoration programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough, the monuments were moved to the Cloisters and the remaining Mediæval paint and whitewash removed in an operation known as “the great scrape”.[61]

Handel’ s “Largo”.

Played on Wells Cathedral’s Organ.

Available on YouTube

HERE

PART EIGHT FOLLOWS.

The Twenty-Six Mediæval Cathedrals Of England (Part Eleven).

 

The Cloisters, Gloucester Cathedral.

Photo: 17 January 2018.

Source: Own work.

Author: Christopher JT Cherrington

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

The façades of English Cathedrals show a considerable diversity, rather than a consistent progression, as is the case in Northern France and other Cathedrals influenced by the French Gothic Style.[5] 

In many cases, regardless of the architectural form, the English façade was treated as a Decorative Screen with many Niches occupied by Statues. A great number of these were toppled or defaced during the 17th-Century, however a “Gallery of Kings” remains high on the façade of Lincoln Cathedral, and many of the original weather-worn figures remain at Exeter Cathedral.[4]

Most English Cathedral façades fall into two basic types, with several variations.

Peterborough Cathedral.

Photo: 31 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Attribution: Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Author: Diliff

(Wikimedia Commons)

The most typical Cathedrals are those that have large Paired Towers at their Western End, as at Canterbury, Durham, Southwell, Wells, Ripon, York.

Between the Towers is either a single, large, Traceried Window, as at York and Canterbury, or an arrangement of un-Traceried Lancets, as at Ripon and Wells, rather than the Rose Windows typical of French façades. 

There are usually three Doors, but, unlike those of French Cathedrals, they are rarely highly elaborate and far more emphasis is placed on the Central Door than those to either side. 

Peterborough Cathedral.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The entrance in most common use is sometimes located in a Porch at one side of the Nave.[5] Where there are not two large Towers at the West Front, there are generally two Pinnacled Turrets that frame the façade or the Central Nave, much in the nature of very large Buttresses. This arrangement may be seen at Salisbury, Winchester, Rochester.

At Lincoln, a vast Gothic Screen, with similar Buttress-like terminals, was built across the front of the Cathedral, incorporating the Norman Portals, but hiding the Norman Towers. The Towers were then greatly heightened to be visible above the Screen.

A Gothic Screen was also added to the Norman Nave at Peterborough, but this is an architectural oddity with no precedent or successor. The Screen is composed of three enormous open Arches, the two outer ones being much wider than that which frames the Central Door. 

The Lady Chapel, Lichfield Cathedral (Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad). The original Cathedral was Founded in 700 A.D., in the  Kingdom of Mercia. The present Cathedral was built 1195-1330. Pictured is the 13th-Century Decorated Lady Chapel with 16th-Century Flemish Glass.

Photo: 24 May 2016.

Source: Lichfield Cathedral (St. Mary & St. Chad)

Author: Hugh Llewelyn, Keynsham, UK

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lichfield Cathedral.

The only Cathedral in Britain with three Spires.

Photo: 13 October 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Bs0u10e01

(Wikimedia Commons)

The overwhelming composition is somewhat spoilt by the later Porch and the fact that two Towers of very different height pop up from behind the Screen. 

Despite this, it is regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces of Gothic Architecture, revealing the enormous diversity and imagination of English Mediæval Architects.[4]

PART TWELVE FOLLOWS.

The Carmelite Monks Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Of Mount Carmel, in Wyoming, United States, Are Building Their New Gothic Monastery.

The new Carmelite Monastery in Wyoming.

Illustration: CARMELITE GOTHIC

If a small donation can be made to assist these wonderful Monks of The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Wyoming, you can do so on their Web-Site

HERE

To see how these Carmelite Monks are building their 

Gothic Monastery themselves, have a read at the 

Carmelite Gothic Architectural process

HERE

The Apse of the Gothic Chapter House.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The Carmelites have designed and carved the Stone 

on their Chapter House in the Gothic Style. They live 

in a contemplative Cloistered Monastery in the 

mountains of Wyoming. 

They live a hidden life of Prayer and manual labour for 

The Church and the World. They work on construction 

during their allotted work time. 

See the Horarium here: https://www.carmelitemonkshorarium.org/ 

Learn about the Carmelite Monks’ Construction at: https://carmelitegothic.com 

Learn more about the Carmelite Monks at: https://www.carmelitemonks.org 

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming are a 

contemplative Community within the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and live the fullness of the Carmelite Rule 

in the solitude of the mountains.

They Pray the entire Divine Office in Common, 

have a daily Sung Mass, Chanted in Latin, do two hours of mental Prayer, manual labour, and the daily Common Rosary. The live a strict Horarium. 

The Wyoming Carmelites are building a Monastery 

in the Gothic Style, designing and carving all of the 

Stone decorations for their buildings during their 

allotted time for manual labour.

Rev. Fr. Timothy Finigan Gives A Short Talk On Fatima, The Rosary, And Saint Joseph. Plus, The Complete Gregorian Chant Rosary.

Fr. Timothy Finigan

gives a short talk, dated 13 May 2020, on

Fatima, The Rosary, and Saint Joseph.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Gregorian Chant Rosary.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou, France. Final Resting Place Of Plantagenet King, Richard The Lionheart (Richard Cœur de Lion).

 

English: The Abbey Church,

Fontevraud, France.

Français: Abbaye Fontevraud.

Photo: 27 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Fontevraud Abbey.

The Plantagenets’ Final Resting Place.

Available on YouTube

HERE

English: Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: L’Abbaye de Fontevraud.

Photo: 8 October 2005.

Source: www.pixAile.com.

Author: Pierre Mairé, PixAile.com.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.

Fontevraud Abbey, or Fontevrault Abbey (in French: abbaye de Fontevraud), is a Religious Building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming Preacher, Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a new Order, the Order of Fontevrault. The first permanent structures were built between 1110 and 1119.

Philippa of Toulouse persuaded her husband, William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, to grant Robert of Abrissel land, in Northern Poitou, to establish a Religious Community dedicated to The Virgin Mary. The Abbey was founded in 1100 and became a Double Monastery, with both Monks and Nuns on the same site.

English: 

Grand Moutier Cloister, Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: 

Cloitre du Grand Moutier,

Abbaye de Fontevraud.

Deutsch: 

Le Grand Moutier in der Abtei Fontevrault.

Photo: 18 April 2008.

Source: Own work.

File Licensed under the Creative Commons 

Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 

2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic licence.

Author: Berrucomons

(Wikimedia Commons)

Fontevraud Abbey,

France.

Photo: 9 August 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Matthias Holländer

(Wikimedia Commons)

An international success, the Order established several “Fontevrist” Abbeys in England. Robert of Arbrissel declared that the Leader of the Order should always be a woman and appointed Petronille de Chemillé as the first Abbess.

She was succeeded by Matilda of Anjou, the aunt of Henry II of England. This was the start of a position that attracted many rich and noble Abbesses over the years, including members of the French Bourbon Royal Family. It also became a refuge for battered women and penitent prostitutes, and housed a leper hospital and a home for aged Religious.

Tomb of Richard I of England, at Fontevraud Abbey, near Chinon, Anjou, France. The tomb of Queen Isabella of Angoulême, the second wife of King John of England, lies behind. Richard died at Le Château de Châlus Chabrol, in Châlus, France, of a Cross-Bow wound. His entrails were buried at the Château, while his heart was taken to Rouen Cathedral and the rest of the body to Fontevraud Abbey.

Photo: July 2003.

Source: Own work.

Author: AYArktos.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Fontevraud Abbey.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany, at various times during the same period.

English: Saint-Benoit Cloisters, Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: Cloitre Saint-Benoit, Abbaye de Fontevraud.

Photo: 18 April 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berrucomons

(Wikimedia Commons)

He was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or, Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.

The Muslims called him Melek-Ric (King Richard) or Malek al-Inkitar (King of England). He was also known, in Occitan, as Oc e No (Yes and No), because of his ability to change his mind.

By the age of sixteen, Richard the Lionheart had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou, against his father. Richard was a central Christian Commander during the Third Crusade, leading the Campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he did not reconquer Jerusalem from Saladin.

France’s Fontevraud Abbey.

The necropolis of The Plantagenets.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Richard spoke “Langue d’Oïl”, a French dialect, and Occitan, 

a Romance language spoken in Southern France and nearby regions.

He lived in his Duchy of Aquitaine, in the South-West of France, and, while the King spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England, preferring to use his Kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies, he was seen as a pious hero by his Subjects. 

He remains one of the few Kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure in England and France.

In the early years, the Plantagenets were great benefactors of Fontevraud Abbey and, while Isabella d’Anjou was Abbess, Henry II’s widow, Eleanor of Aquitaine, became a Nun there. Louise de Bourbon left her Crest on many of the alterations she made during her term of Office.

During the French Revolution, the Order was dissolved. The last Abbess, Madame d’Antin, died in poverty in Paris. On 

17 August 1792, a Revolutionary decree ordered evacuation of all Monasteries, to be completed by 1 October 1792. The Abbey later became a prison, from 1804 to 1963, in which year it was given to the French Ministry of Culture.

English: 

The Cloisters, Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: 

Abbaye Fontevraud - Cloître du Grand-Moûtier.

Photo: 27 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST

(Wikimedia Commons)

This city prison in Fontevraud, planned to hold 1,000 prisoners, required major changes, including new barracks, in addition to the transformation of Monastic buildings into dormitories, workshops, and common areas. Prisoners - men, women and children – began arriving in 1814. Eventually, it held some 2,000 prisoners, earning the prison the title of the “toughest in France after Clairvaux”.

Political prisoners experienced the harshest conditions: Some French Resistance prisoners were shot there, under the Vichy Government. Following closure of the prison, came major restoration, an opening to the public in 1985, and completion of the Abbey Church’s restoration in 2006, under architect Lucien Magne.

English: The Great West Front,

Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: 

Abbaye Fontevraud - Eglise Abbatiale,

facade ouest.

Photo: 27 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Abbey was originally the site of the graves of King Henry II of England, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, their son, King Richard I of England, their daughter, Joan, their grandson, Raymond VII of Toulouse, and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of Henry’s and Eleanor’s son, King John. 

However, there is no remaining corporal presence of Henry, Eleanor, Richard, or the others on the site. Their remains were possibly destroyed during the French Revolution.

Henriette Louise de Bourbon, grand-daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, grew up here. Princess Thérèse of France, daughter of King Louis XV, is also buried here.

English: Fontevraud Abbey.

Français: Abbaye de Fontevraud -

Entrée de la salle capitulaire.

Photo: 27 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Francis De Sales (1567-1622). Confessor. Bishop. Doctor Of The Church. Whose Feast Day Is, Today, 29 January. White Vestments.

Text and Illustrations from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Francis of Sales.
   Bishop,
   Confessor.
   Doctor of The Church.
   Feast Day 29 January.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622).

From a painting in Heimsuchungskloster, 

Oberroning, Bayern, Deutschland

(Convent of the Visitation Sisters,

Oberroning, Bavaria, Germany).

This File: 18 April 2005.

User: Searobin

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Word Made Flesh makes known to us, by His teachings, the Mysteries of His Divine Wisdom, and, by His Miracles, His eternal love. Saint Francis of Sales (Saint Francis de Sales), a Doctor of the Church, had a share in the knowledge of the Incarnate Word (Gradual), and, like Him, by his gentle Charity (Collect) worked wonders of conversion.

Sent to "preach the word of God to the Calvinists of Chablais, he brought back sixty thousand to the Catholic Faith" (Breviary). Having become the father of the Church at Geneva, and founder of the Order of the Visitation, he shed over this double family (Communion) the rays of his Apostolic zeal and of his gentle holiness.

"May your light shine before men, so that, seeing your works, they may glorify your Father Who is in Heaven" (Gospel). It is especially God's goodness which this Saint revealed. "If we must fall into some excess," Saint Francis of Sales would say, "let it be on the side of gentleness".

Saint Francis de Sales.

Available on YouTube

HERE

“I wish to love him so much, this dear neighbour, I wish to love him so much ! It has pleased God so to make my heart ! Oh !, when shall we be impregnated with gentleness and in Charity towards our neighbour ?”

Saint Francis of Sales died at Lyons, France, in 1622.

Let us remember this Saint's two sayings: "You can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar." "What is good, makes no noise; noise does no good."

Mass: In médio.

Coat-of-Arms of Saint Francis de Sales.

Date: 5 December 2013.

Source: Own work.

Reference: File:Franz von Sales Bischofswappen.jpg

Commons Images Used: File:Template-Bishop.svg

Author: Jayarathina

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Francis de Sales, C.O., T.O.M., A.O.F.M. Cap. (French: François de Sales) (1567 – 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honoured as a Saint in The Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep Faith and his gentle approach to the Religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation, particularly the Introduction To The Devout Life and the Treatise on The Love of God.

Francis de Sales was Beatified in 1661 by Pope Alexander VII, who then Canonised him four years later. He was declared a Doctor of The Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877.

The Roman Catholic Church currently (in the Novus Ordo Form) Celebrates Saint Francis de Sales’ Feast Day on 

24 January, the day of his burial in Annecy, France, in 1624.

From the year 1666, when his Feast Day was inserted into the General Roman Calendar, until the reform of this Calendar in 1969, it was observed on 29 January, and this date is kept by those who Celebrate the Usus Antiquior Form of The Roman Rite.

Dunstable Priory. (Part Seven).

Print of Dunstable Priory.

Published 24 December 1819.

Longman & Lackington & Co

and Joseph Harding, London.

Illustration: THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY

Text from Wikipedia — the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

The great necessity and heavy debts of the Priory called for stringent measures, and William le Breton had shown himself unable to meet the difficulty. Efforts were made to curtail expenses and get money for the payment of debts. There is no sign of any other grave faults having been committed, nor of anything like luxurious living. 

Dunstable Priory Portal.

Date: 10 May 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: DrMoschi

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The new Prior, according to the Bishop’s advice, set himself to limit the expenses of the whole Priory and assigned a fixed income to the Kitchen for the future.

The deposed Prior had proper maintenance assigned to him at Ruxox Priory, Flitwick, Bedforshire. 

The Canons seem to have borne no ill-will to Bishop Sutton for his corrections and were ready on his next visit to their Church (which was made not officially, but only in passing) to praise him for his excellent Sermon. [Editor: This can be interpreted as an excellent Career move by the Canons.]

Other visitations of his are mentioned in 1284, 1287, 1288, and 1293; the last was only to confer Orders. 

Dunstable Priory.

Main Portal and facade detail.

Date: 10 May 2015.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

Author: DrMoschi

(Wikimedia Commons)

Archbishop Peckham came in 1284, but found all well (“as the Bishop had been there quite late,” the Chronicler naively remarks) and Archbishop Winchelsea in 1293. 

The only serious charge that could be laid to the door of the Canons all through the 13th-Century was their inability to keep clear of debt, and the record shows that this was often quite as much their misfortune as their fault. 

There are many incidental remarks of the Chroniclers which serve to show that the tone of the Priory was thoroughly Religious, and that the Canons were faithful in keeping their Rule. 

It will suffice to instance, early in the 13th-Century, the generous treatment of the two young Canons (one only a Novice), who escaped by night through a window and went to join the Friars Minor at Oxford. 

Dunstable Priory.

This hidden gem.

Available on YouTube

HERE

They were indeed Solemnly Excommunicated and compelled to return; but, after they had done their Penance in the Chapter House and had been absolved, they were allowed a year to consider the matter, and, if after that time they preferred the stricter Order, they were granted permission to depart; if not, they might remain at Dunstable.

PART EIGHT FOLLOWS.

“Let’s Go Once More Around The World. I’ve Still Got Forty Cents” !!!

 

“Once more around the World.

“I’ve still got forty cents”.

Cartes anciennes de Germaine Bouret.

Old Cards by GERMAINE BOURET.

Saved from:

chezminette87.centerblog.net

Illustration: PINTEREST

Worcester Cathedral: Organs; Bells; Peregrine Falcons. Magnificent !!!

Worcester Cathedral Organs.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Worcester Cathedral Bells.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Worcester Cathedral 

Peregrine Falcons.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Worcester Cathedral.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Full Peal Of Bells To Be Rung At Worcester Cathedral For The Feast Day Of Saint Agatha, Patron Saint Of Bell-Ringers.

Worcester Cathedral.

Photo: 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Newton2.

(Wikimedia Commons).

Worcester Cathedral Choir Screen.

Illustration: WORCESTER CATHEDRAL NEWS

This Article is a re-print from 2025.

Check with Worcester Cathedral’s Web-Site

HERE

to see if you can hear the Full Peal of Bells 

in February 2026.

English: 

Cloisters of Worcester Cathedral.

Français: 

Cloître médiéval de la cathédrale de Worcester.

Photo: 11 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Attribution:

Photo by DAVID ILIFF. 

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Author: Diliff

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Worcester Cathedral Web-Site can be found

HERE