Week of August 15 - Feast Day of religion in Catholic countries, celebrating the Assumption of Mary.
In certain locality it remained a day of pilgrimage.
Having lived in my youth Contamines Montjoie, Haute Savoie, I remembered these pilgrimages
Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge hamlet of the valley, which has a church and a chapel, which was a traditional place of pilgrimage on August 15 for the high Tarentaise valleys and villages of Haute Savoie bathed by the Arve and its tributaries.
I myself in my youth participated in two or three occasions in this pilgrimage, which was shot this photo of the 1960 Babaz the abbot, at the time of his sermon, perched on the wall of the entrance to the church, Mass is celebrated at the time outside.
This all-white church, and even more under the blanket of snow, housed, until the 1950s, ex-voto consisting of plaster casts members cured through the intercession of the Virgin. All these white members, each of fifty centimeters long, relegated to a rather obscure corner of the church, had inflamed my imagination as a young child. Already damaged and broken when I had seen, they were removed during an initial brief restoration of the church to the 1960s.
And since we're on the pilgrimage, a wink that of Lourdes, from views done during a working visit, and I was able to make a small book on Lourdes and its region, self-publishing .
See also the pages that I have devoted (pilgrimage town of Lourdes and its surroundings).
Notre Dame de la Gorge and chapel
Legend has it that the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge, perched on the side wall of the Bon Nant, was built by a lumberjack. In fact it was found in winter in very bad shape, this wall made of smooth rocks with peaks to several tens of meters. He vowed that if he survived he would build a chapel to the Virgin.
First on the edge of torrent, it was later built his composure, and is accessed by a very steep path.
Father Félix Babaz
Father Babaz was much loved inhabitants of Les Contamines which he was the pastor. He built two large family house, but began restoring an old farmhouse in Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge, which became the first family home Contamines (and one of the first in France ... the principle that families were and their children all shared work during their holiday stay - I myself have been to dish duty). This building is now a place to camp.
Father Felix Babaz was appointed shortly after its installation Contamines as 'The phoenix snoilles' (the phoenix bells - in local dialect - was pronounced snoye - same root as the french term : sonailles...), to be replaced (added? ) bell for the steeple of the village church. Young priest, he had faced at the beginning disdain of his parishioners because he did not even care for his flock, that was its predecessor! The doctor lived 8 miles away and was asked for extreme cases.
Incidentally, this little anecdote: the cure (the priest's house - where I lived for a few months), there was on the floor a toilet with a double seat toilet. It was therefore trough binoculars in one piece as far as I remember the. This allowed a couple to go to the bathroom together ...
It may seem strange to find such a "loose" in a cure ... But without doubt, as it is still done in some places, the priest praised during a portion of his home to people passing through, allowing a financial contribution welcome in these parts was often very poor. This toilet, upstairs, was replaced in the 1950s ...
As regards the treatment of Contamines, Father Babaz are often hosted abbots pass during vacations, just as it has allowed us to shelter us time to find a place to rent.
Young child I helped in the daily tasks at the height of my age (weeding the garden, emptying the septic tank ...), and also with regularity, ringing bells for the Angelus, being careful Do not pull too hard on the strings at the bottom of the tower, raised by rope you beat the great bell at the end of the last large flock ring he had to stop.
Father Babaz died several years. He had a keen mind and open.
I wanted to pay tribute to him here through these memories.
Photography of the week 33 of 2012
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