My Excellent Adventure with Mary & Phil, Part I: Cathedral of the Resurrection

So the big day arrived last Friday for my tour of the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Evry and the Genevieve-des-Bois Cemetery with my friends Mary Gilbert and Phil Nuxhall from Cincinatti. I physically never met Mary & Phil before but soon as we did, we hugged like old friends. They are so sweet, fun, and interesting. Mary is an avid Francophile and knows so much about Paris, that in certain areas of knowledge she runs circles around me. She is the one who thought of the two destinations which I never knew about.

We took the RER D to Evry-Courconnes, about a 35 minute ride from Paris, and arrived at the modern, clean white station (which I will feature as a metro station of the month later this month) with fun bright colored graphics. As soon as we stepped out of the station, the Cathedral of the Resurrection loomed grandly in front of us. Immediately we were taken by its sheer beauty and presence. We walked around the complete perimeter to take in every view as not to miss a single opportunity to view this magnificent architectural wonder. At every turn was an angle that made it take on a different look. The main entrance was closed and it was actually difficult to locate exactly where to enter. We ended up entering through a small non-descript black service door on to the second floor. The view was breathtaking: the huge expanse and intricate patterning of the bricks, the dramatic altar bathed in natural light, the perfectly symmetrical , meticulously crafted wood seats, the massive inset with a stunning cross angled sculptural wood screen housing the organ, the gentle but powerful curved walls, and the white light flooding into the cathedral through a fanned out pattern of sheets of glass.

We walked down the curving stairway with long panes of unique abstract stained windows and arrived at the main floor. We were struck by the warmth and spiritual power the cathedral emanated, since modern Swiss architectural style can sometimes be cold( the architect is Swiss born Mario Botta). We left the cathedral feeling that our molecules had been altered, which sometimes happens after seeing things of such great beauty.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection is named after the Patron Saint Corbinian, a eighth century monk from St. Germain-les-Arpajon.The 670,000 bricks come from Colomiers near Toulouse and the cathedral was completed in 1995. There are 20 lime trees surrounding the top. It is the only 20th century cathedral built in France.

Stay tuned till tomorrow for part two of My Excellent Adventure with Mary & Phil where we visit Rudolph Nureyev's grave at St. Genevieve-des-Bois.

Cathedral of the Resurrection
Take RER D from Gare de Lyon to Evry-Courconnes- approx. 35 minutes
Open Monday to Saturday 10AM-12PM, 2PM to 6PM, Sunday 2PM-7PM
Mass times -Monday -Friday 12:15, Sunday 11:15AM & 7PM
http://cathedrale-evry.cef.fr/

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Michelle]

Great photos. I ran across your blog a week or so ago and just love it.

[MadAboutParis]

RICHARD!!! Your photos turned out beautifully...we had such a great time with you. Anyone who goes to Evry should also know about the fabulous little Syrian restaurant near the cathedral.
A la prochaine...
Mary

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