Friday, August 15, 2014

St. Meen Church, Cancale, France

For the Feast of the Assumption, here's the last post from the France trip...somehow this church slipped through the cracks!

St. Meen Church is in the heart of Cancale. We went to it slightly by accident. We wanted to go grocery shopping and Cancale had the closest store according to our GPS. We followed dutifully through the streets of the town and finished at the town square with St. Meen at the head and a statue of women washing oysters at the other end (Cancale is a big oyster town).

St. Meen Church, Cancale

The kids enjoy the oyster fountain

J poses

The church itself is simple with a bright interior.

Nave

Main altar

Many side altars held our interest, but none more so than the one where J and L could light candles. I finally have a good shot of them in flaming action.

Lighting candles and saying prayers

St. Therese of Lisieux altar

St. Joseph altar

Joan of Arc, popular French saint, is represented by a statue looking up at the altar.

Joan of Arc

The sea-faring trade of the locals is also represented in the sacred art, though the life preserver might be a bit too much.

New Testament fishing scenes

The act of contrition is like a life preserver?

Who was St. Meen?

Meven or Meen was a Brittany saint who died around 617. He came from Wales with his godson Saint Austell to convert the locals. He founded two abbeys, one near Paimpont that carries his name. His feast is June 21.

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