The Church of Saint-Amé

Those of you who’ve been following my blog for a few years know how much my sister-in-law and I love the town of Plombières-les-Bains.  You’ll also remember that “les Bains” refers to the thermal baths that caused the Romans to settle here in 65 B.C.

As with most French (and European) towns, one side of the town square is home to a church.  In 1389 A.D, there was a chapel here,  Then as the town grew, a modest parish church was built.  The current Neo-Gothic ogival church was built in the late 1800’s.  What’s ogival?  It means having the shape of an ogive (now there’s a helpful definition!) or, in plain English, a pointed or Gothic arch.  You’ll see examples of this at the front of the church.

But ogival windows aren’t the only attractions.

There’s another window at the back of the church (where you enter) and a magnificent organ, which I would have loved to have heard.  Those arches aren’t just found in the windows; they’re everywhere!

The workmanship in these churches is both amazing and beautiful and the quiet and sense of awe palpable.  Tomorrow we’ll take a look at some of the stained glass windows and next Tuesday, we’ll take a last look at details of the church.  I’ll be offline Thursday through Monday.