Pilgrimages in and around Lyon, France

Pilgrimages in and around
Lyon, France

Right up the road from
C.I.A.C. is le Chartreuse
de Lyon, which contains
the old church, St.
Bruno’s (pictured here),
as well as the compound
area where the monks
lived. The compound
contained a large
cloister, garden,
cemetery, small cloister,
chapter room, and retreat
chapel. Some of the
buildings date back to
the late 1500’s.

Br. Marcel describing the
interior of St. Bruno’s.
All the buildings are in
need of major restoration,
but the money to do that
comes from the state, not
the parishes, and the state
is obviously reluctant to
part with the money.
Although over 80% of the
people in France are
Catholic, less than 10%
are practicing, so the
churches are poorly
funded.

Br. Ray in the pulpit
where Father Andre
Coindre preached. St.
Bruno’s is important to
the Brothers of the Sacred
Heart because their
founder, Fr. Andre
Coindre, was a
missionary there after the
French Revolution. He
was part of a large group
of religious men and
women who tried to bring
religion back into the
lives of the French after it
was prohibited by the
government.

This is the view of Lyon from St. Bruno’s

This plaque at St. Bruno’s in
honor of Claudine Thevenet.
After Andre found the 2
orphan girls, he turned to
Claudine to take them in, along
with several others. Andre
seemed to be inspired by
Claudine’s willingness to help
out these poor children, so he
became her spiritual advisor.
Shortly after that, he helped
these women organize
themselves into an association
and later a religious
community called the
Congregation of the Sacred
Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

An early, manual silk loom. This is what Andre wanted the boys to
learn how to do, in order to stay off the streets and out of jail.

A view of Lyon from near the C.I.A.C.

A view of Lyon and the Rhone River from the Brothers’ villa,
(Petit Versailles), at la Procure

The Brothers’ garden at la Procure

The Brothers’ garden with a view

Some of the guys at the Procure B-B-Q:
Don, Gerry, Greg, John, Ed, Br. Marcel, Br. Neri

The church of St. Nizier in
Lyon is where Andre Coindre
and Claudine Thevenet were
baptized. Many years later,
Andre found the orphan girls
abandoned on the steps, which
started everything!
* Note the dome over the main
entrance. It will be featured in
detail in the next slide.

Dome archway over the main entrance doors. The faces and images are
all carved in relief in the stone.

St. John’s Cathedral was where Fr. Andre Coindre was ordained.

This clock, in St. John’s
Cathedral, was built in 1383.
Although it has been
damaged by wars and
revolutions, it has been
repaired and now works! It
stands over 15 feet tall.

Close up of the clock face in St. John’s Cathedral

The town of Le Puy, where Paradis is located. Andre Coindre purchased
some property there in order to establish a place to train the Brothers.

In the foreground are old, original buildings of Paradis, which are now
closed. Rising up into the sky is a giant statue of St. Joseph. The
Brothers still own a few acres of land there, and the building they now
use is a retirement place for the Brothers of France.

The cemetery at La Puy, with lavender and herbs growing everywhere.

A memorial to Fr. Andre
Coindre and other
Brothers of the Sacred
Heart (at Paradis)

Mount St. Michael was built over 1,000 years ago on top of a volcanic
rock formation. The town’s name, Valay, is a term for the volcanic
pillars that rise up in the area. There is no vehicle road access to the top.
The faithful who wish to attend services must climb up on foot.

Beautiful carving in a Jesuit church in Vals.

Chapel at Vals where early
Brothers of the Sacred
Heart made perpetual
vows.

Ursaline nuns’ chapel built in 1600’s in Monistrol.

Monistrol

A back view of Fourvieve,
which came into our view after
we climbed nearly 900 steps!
Br. Ronnie led a group of us
who wanted to make the climb
by foot as Andre Coindre would
have. The rest of our group
opted to take the bus.
Fourvieve, meaning “old forum”
is so named because of the
Roman ruins found there.

Intricate carving near the entrance to Fourvieve. Construction was started
in 1870 and completed in 1896.

Br. Ray saying mass in the
chapel at Fourvieve. This
particular chapel was where
many of the Brothers made
their vows.

All the Brothers (and one Sister) on the altar, renewing their vows.

A view of Lyon from the top of Fourvieve. The two following slides
complete the panorama from right to left.

The middle slide of the panorama of Lyon.

The far left slide in the panorama.
The visibility on this day was over 50 miles.

The main Basilica of Notre
Dame (at Fourviere). The
church was built by the
fathers of Lyon as
thanksgiving because city
was saved from invasions.
The vaulted ceilings soar
100 feet overhead and are
covered with intricate and
beautiful mosaics.
(this is a scanned postcard)

Fourvieve has many
beautiful mosiacs on the
walls and ceilings. This
one is overhead in the
main basilica.

The interior of the
Basilica of Notre Dame
(Fourvieve)

A wall mosaic at Fourvieve.

The tomb of Claudine Thevenet

Cluny, and the remains of the largest monastery in Christendom
(187 meters at the time).

The Abbey at Cluny was founded in 909.
The Church construction began in 1088.

Cluny, on the site of the
monastery. Towards the
end of the 12 th century,
about 10,000 monks
living in 1,200 abbeys
were affiliated with the
Cluny Abbey, (with
1,000 monks living in
the Cluny Abbey itself).
The homes in the town
were built from the
stones of the Abbey
Church after if fell into
ruins during the
Revolution.

Cluny

The town of Paray le Monial, pop. 12,000, is an important pilgrimage
center and a shrine to Christianity, as well as a charismatic center.

St. Claude’s at Paray le Monial

A beautiful mosaic in
St. Claude’s
(Paray le Monial)
The town is of interest
to the Brothers of the
Sacred Heart because
the Visitation Chapel
is where the Sacred
Heart appeared to
Sister Margaret Mary
(she was later made a
saint). Following this
visitation, Sister M.M.
spread the good news
and the message of the
Brothers.

A beautiful stained glass
window in St. Claude’s
(Paray le Monial)

The church in La Motte, the small town where Br. Polycarpe was born

This plaque in La Motte is dedicated to Br. Polycarpe, who is considered
the second founder of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.

The ancient ruins of Lyon near
Fourvieve. The amphitheater
overlooks the city. The ruins
date back to 43 B.C.
(postcard).

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Ancient ruins in Lyon (postcard)

“Teaching Christ”
This bronze statue was created by
an alum of St. Bruno’s. It currently
is displayed at C.I.A.C.

Father Andre Coindre,
founder of the Brothers
of the Sacred Heart