Dancing Moon.

This is a nice Summer evening in Vire, canton Vire Normandie. The bronze statue of the first mayor of Vire René Castel dominates the small square in front of the theatre Le Préau. 

He is holding a mushroom in his hand, but here I saw the moon dancing just above his inquisitive hand.

It was a long and jolly evening.

 

A Young Couple under Golden Arches.

A young couple walking through the golden gallery of Autumn trees near the Vire railway station (Gare SNCF) in Lower Normandy.

Here, I liked how the sharp yellow line on the road was playing with the soft yellows of autumnal leaves.

 

A theatre evening with rain

At the end of the opening show of the season at Le Préau in Vire, a sudden mighty downpour with thunder and lightning.

Le Préau is one of France's National Centres of Drama. 

Le Café du théâtre is right in front of the theatre. 

 

Pietà en bois au l'Eglise Notre-dame de Vire

À Vire, la capitale du Bocage Virois, il y a une Pietà en bois. Pietà est une composition de sculptures de la Viérge portant sur ses genoux le corps du Christ mort.

Cette composition est une des plus célèbres images dans la tradition artistique chrétienne. A l'église Notre-Dame de Vire on peut la voir en bois. Il y a des marques du temps, des trous, des dommages de la guerre. Et, malgré tout, cette composition reste capable de nous émouvoir.

Il y a là, un mystère. De quelle période on la dater? De l'époque de la Renaissance? de la fin du siècle? ou quand? Je pense que j'ai trouvé un indice. Je continue d'enquêter.

Au dos de la Viérge —

vue générale de la Pietà —

Le bois endommagé —

La nef de l'eglise —

Jésus avec un trou à l'éstomac —

 le trou dans la jambe de Jésus (dans la cheville) —

des artistes faisant des esquisses — 

Notre Dame de Vire

The Notre-Dame church in Vire was founded in 1150. The Western wall of the current church (seen on the left in the first photo) and some interior incorporate features of that original church. By 1272 it was rebuilt in Gothic style and dedicated to Notre-Dame (Our Lady). Over the centuries it had various elements added, including the choir, which was designed by the same maitre who worked on Mont-Saint-Michel.
A few years ago a minimalist spacious open amphitheatre was built of in front of the Northern wall. beautiful white stone, of warm shade and a pleasure to sit on even when it's not very warm. (seen partly on the far left of the first photo, and in close-up in the second photo).

During the second world war Vire was twice heavily bombed. Most of the buildings around the church were completely destroyed but Notre-Dame, though seriously damaged, remained standing. In a communal effort it was restored by 1948, though some work had to be done in later years. It is in perfect condition today and worth a visit.

/français/
L'église Notre-Dame de Vire était fondée vers 1150 comme une chapelle romane Saint-Blaise. Édifiée à partir des environs de 1230, sur le bases de cette chapelle, en style gothique une nouvelle église est dédiéeà Notre-Dame le 20 juillet 1272. Elle est agrandie en différents styles jusqu'a XVI siècle. Élevation du choeur gothique flamboyant dont le maître d'ouevre serait celui de l'abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel. Elle dut être restaurée en 1948 après les bombardements du 6 juin 1944. (voir le dernier photo).

/russe, in Russian/
Церковь Нотр-Дам в городе Вир, Кальвадос, Нормандия. Церковь основана в 12-м веке, сначала как часовня местного прихода, с 1272 года перестроена и освящена как церковь Нотр-Дам (Богородицы). Западная стена (слева на первом снимке) сохранила элементы изначальной постройки 12-го века. Внешние архитектурные элементы готические. На церкви сохранились "гаргойлы" — водостоки, выполненные в форме мифических зверей.
Хоры внутри церкви добавлены в 16-м веке, построены тем же мастером, который работал в знаменитом аббатстве Мон-Сен-Мишель в часе езды от Вира.
Город, важный железнодорожный узел, жестоко пострадал во время второй мировой войны, его дважды массированно бомбили Союзники — в день высадки в Нормандии 6 июня 1944 года и затем в июле того же года перед освобождением Вира от немецко-фашистских оккупантов (см. третий снимок). Церковь была восстановлена в 1948 году.
Несколько лет назад с северной стороны построен просторный амфитеатр белого камня для городских концертов (виден слева на первом фото, ступени-сидения для зрителей крупным планом на втором снимке). Поразительно: камень всегда теплый, приятно посидеть даже в не самый жаркий нормандский день.
Сегодня церковь в отличном состоянии и производит ошеломляющее впечатление — покоем, скромным убранством, духом столетий.

Photo par Hélena Mokshina.

Marbres blanches d'amphithéâtre en face l'église. Photo par Alexander Anichkin.

Vue aérienne de la ville de Vire après les bombardements du 6 juin, l'église Notre-Dame est le seul édifice debout au milieu des immeubles en ruines. / Bird's eye view of the church after the bombings of 6 June 1944. / Центр Вира с церковью Нотр-Дам после бомбардировки 6 июня 1944 года (день высадки Союзников в Нормандии) Photo de Wikimedia.

Révolution in Vire.

In Vire, the capital of the Bocage Normand (rural Normandy), I discovered a revolutionary graffiti on the wall of a Catholic Convent. Not sure if it's connected to the recent success of the macronistes, but it definitely wasn't there last time I walked round that 'secret passage', Rue de rames. 

Je ne sais pas si ce graffiti est connecté à la réussite des macronistes mais c'est vraiment nouveau. Vire, sur le mur arrière d'un couvent catholique à passage secret derrier du sous-préfecture.

На задней стене католического конвента в Вире обнаружилась новая надпись: Революция. Не знаю, это монашки к чему-то готовятся или юные макронисты торжествуют, но точно в последний раз, когда я там был с месяц назад, этого граффити не было.

First photo by A.Anichkin, second by Helena Lecourt. (page on FB here)

Lines in Stone. Vire. Normandy.

A recent addition to the Notre-Dame cathedral in Vire — atrium with steps in stone.

Brilliant in May sunshine.

Marianne on Top of a Volcano.

No photoshop, just an angle. It looks the Marianne in the market square in Vire, Calvados, sits right on top of a fountain (not quite volcano.)
Photo by ©A.Anichkin.

Red Marianne in the Mist.

This bust of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, was erected in the market square in Vire on the 100th anniversary of the Revolution in 1889. 

The bronze monument miraculously survived heavy Allied bombings in 1944. 

Just before the 2012 elections the monument was repainted in a bright red colour. Probably to protect it from the elements. And the centre-right mayor of Vire was defeated for the first time in more than twenty years. Now the town has a left-wing mayor.

This  June 1944 photo (from here) shows the state of Vire during the battle for Normandy. Marianne is in the bottom left corner.

A Church spire in the mist.

The spire of eglise Saint-Anne in Vire, Calvados, is covered in the morning mist.

Photo by ©Alexander Anichkin.

Resistance. The Vire Clock tower (horloge.)

The town of Vire was heavily bombed during the war. The town walls were never rebuilt but the towers, including the landmark clock tower (horloge) were carefully repaired and restored.

The town folk is fighting to keep its maternity hospital open. This is what the slogan raised on the horloge says.

Liberté, Egalité,.. Proximité. Vire.

The citizens of Vire, Normandy, are fighting to keep the maternity hospital open in town.

The slogan put up on the central roundabout has an aptly modified slogan of the French republic - liberté, égalité, proximité.

Indeed, without the proximity of the vital services there is little value in liberté or égalité.

Oh, and the traditional floral sculptures on the roundabout this year celebrate the 60th anniversary of the town's Athletic association USM Vire.

Disfunctional Telephone Box

The British telephone box was put near the Hôtel de Ville (in the background) in Vire years ago. To commemorate the twinning of Vire with a town in England. But I haven't seen anyone use it yet. Have you?

And the red post box next to is taped over to show that it's not being emptied by la Post, just ten metres away, across the road.

What's going on?

Normandy Celebrates 911

My companion and I were both startled when we drove up to the the central roundabout in Vire, Calvados, and saw 911 put out on the floral display, traditionally marking memorable events in French or world history.

This year it is 1,100 years since the founding of Normandy. In year 911 the king of Franks granted the lands that were to become Normandy to the 'Northern people' – the vikings. For several centuries after that the Normans dominated European landscape, from England to Russia and from Sicily to Norway.

Read 'Normans, Vikings and the English Language' on The Norman Review of Books.

Photo by ©A.Anichkin

Horloge in bloom

The landmark Horloge tower in Vire, Calvados, has a lovely cherry tree in full bloom by its side.

The Montgolfier Floral Celebration

The central round-about in Vire, Calvados, is famous for floral sculptures celebrating famous events in French history. This summer the dedication is to Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1740-1810), one of the two Montgolfier brothers who invented the hot-air balloon.

Alfred de Musset

Joseph Montgolfier

But why commemorate the year of death? Have we run out of memorable dates? For example, Alfred Musset, the French classic writer was born in 1810.

First cross-Channel flight commemorated in Vire, Normandy

The floral composition on the Vire town central round-about this summer commemorates the centennary of Louis Bleriot's historic Channel crossing in his 'flying bicycle', a monoplane aircraft. In 1909 Blériot won the the coveted thousand-pound prize offered by the London Daily Mail for a successful crossing of the English Channel. His plane was flying at an average airspeed of approximately 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) and an altitude of about 250 feet (76 m).

The Vire round-about is famous for its floral compositions.

Photo: The Blériot XI,
on which Blériot crossed the Channel in 1909.
Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris.

Marianne in Autumn

Light brown bust of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, stands out against the dark foliage behind. The column with Marianne on top was erected in 1889 to commemorate the first Centenary of the French Revolution. It stands in the market square in Vire, Calvados.

Autumn colours

I took this photo at 'la butte aux cerfs' aka 'green park', Normandy.

Josh Holmes age 16

Normandy celebrates Buggs Bunny

Floral installation on Vire's central roundabout.
This summer, Vire's imaginative gardening team are celebrating Tex Avery, the creator of Buggs Bunny

Sent by Alice MacAlistair,
Vire valley

Have a look at last year's floral displays here