St. Paul de Vance


Thursday, March 1, 2018  

Europe has been hit with what they are calling the “Siberian Express” and "The Beast from the East" which has impacted many areas profoundly.  Transportation has been hindered, schools have been closed, and the weather is the first thing on the news.  It impacted us today.

This morning we drove into the hills surrounding Nice, with some minimal skidding.  The snow was on the roads, the walkways, the roofs, everywhere.  The snow on the palms is a strange sight:



We arrived at the entrance to the Maeght Foundation—the collection which brings hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly—only to find that the snow precluded so many of the staff from getting to work that they closed for the day:



We had planned an entire morning there, and it was not possible.  We rearranged our schedule, and drove then to the town of Vance, just a few miles away, to visit The Chapel of the Rosary at a nunnery there.  It is better known as the Matisse Chapel.  The story is long, but Matisse, in his 80s, designed the entire interior as well as vestments for the priests who came to hold mass at the chapel.  Our guide book calls it “reductionist” and that it is.  It is simple, the featured stained-glass windows are in just three colors, blue, yellow and green:



On one wall opposite a wall of windows is this mural on tiles, with a very simple but amazingly effective Virgin and Christ-child:



After I took those two photos we were told that no photos are allowed, so I have no more, but there are many sketches showing the reduction in color and in complexity en route to arriving at what is there.  Matisse is quoted as saying, “Despite its imperfections I think it [the chapel] is my masterpiece…the result of a lifetime devoted to the search for truth.”

There was a wonderful view of the walled city of St. Paul de Vance from the museum windows adjacent to the chapel:



After leaving the chapel we drove back to the walled city of St. Paul and walked in.  It is very beautiful, filled with galleries and shops (one named Viktor):




Only a small number of the galleries and shops were open, but it was fun and a bit dangerous (that's slush and ice on the stairs) walking around.  We had a leisurely lunch in the town, and then drove back to Nice.  We’ll have to come back to visit the Maeght Foundation and walk the St. Paul streets again.

Comments

  1. Rwa442March 1, 2018 at 11:50 AM

    Amazing snow scenes. How is the french cuisine in the small towns?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victor PoleshuckMarch 1, 2018 at 11:35 PM

    The food is delicious everywhere. Even the most modest cafe has good food. Last night for dinner we didn't feel like a big restaurant meal. We went to a local market, bought a warm, just-out-of-the-oven baguette, some cheese, wine and fruit, and had dinner in our room. The bread was incredible, and one euro for the whole baguette!

    ReplyDelete

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