The rays of the sun’s late glow drew us towards the cloister of the Saint Trophime Cathedral.
The air bubbled with excitement for it was the vernissage or opening for the new exhibition Sur le pas de Saint Césaire.
Fifteen hundred years ago, the Pope offered Caesarius of Arles the first pallium (a long scarf denoting high rank) given to a Western bishop. The exhibition was organized to celebrate this special anniversary and featured not only various relics…
…but also the child-sized sarcophagus in which his remains were hidden for years. Caesarius or Césaire in French was elected bishop in 502 AD and rose to eminence based on an ideology centered on the guiding force of love, austerity and creating lasting bonds of peace–this despite frequent attacks by the Visigoths and Franks during his 39 year tenure. He established the first monastery for women in Gaul and was considered “the leading ecclesiastical statesmen and spiritual force of his age.”
Also according to citations in Wikipedia, Césaire dreamed of “an expanding, world-embracing, world-uniting society.” It is fascinating, isn’t it? Little wonder that his faithful followers did all that was necessary to protect his remains through wars and the Revolution, moving them to different locations each time they were deemed at risk.
His tunic and the pallium were finely restored over a two-year period by Anastasia Ozoline, who is the director of the committee for the exhibition as well as it’s scenographer.
It was she who contacted my companion, Remi Benali, to ask if he would be willing to contribute several of his photographs to help illustrate the areas of Arles where Césaire is most present today. There was definitely something of the “meant to be” in the circumstances of his meeting this lovely woman, who glows with goodwill. He happily accepted.
It was a delight to watch the crowds flow through the exhibition, listening to the phenomenal explanations by Jean-Maurice Roquette, whose bounding knowledge and discourse belies little of his 83 years of age…
Eyes darted down then up, quickly taking in the context. Whispers flowed like little rivers.
I felt a surge of pride…
…and I was not the only one!
Many of the prominent local historians and politicians were in attendance (as well as the Queen of Arles and a member of her court). While the official speeches rolled on, we eyed the awaiting buffet laid out in a side wing of the cloister…
…but chose to climb up to the upper walkway to take in great gulps of the cool autumn air.
How fortunate that we have this cloister, which rings with a deep peace as loudly as the bells in the cathedral’s tower that rises above it.
We all took turns…
…at falling into the silence of a calm heart.
Another day ended, another moon rising. One to reflect the memory of a fore-founder of peace that crossed these streets so many years ago. May something of his spirit live on…
from September 12th to October 31st
The St. Trophime Cloister, Arles
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. May it take flight!
Congrats to Remi! Beautiful post.
okay I googled Queen of Arles and discovered she is chosen every three yrs. You learn something new every day!
Queen of Arles… say what now?! That's just plain cool.
Your pride for Remi is well deserved, heck, I'm proud of Remi!
Beautiful shots as always Heather xx
Remi's Images are well deserving of such a space – they are gorgeous!!
Who is this Queen of Arles – is there a history story you need to give us or – was that tongue in cheek?
Cheers now – great insight!! Thanks!!
Curious to know more about him…love and world peace but also austerity…interesting mix…I know very little about him (just a vague understanding from history lessons) so would love to see this exhibition to discover a little more. A tardis is required.
Remi's images truly are a tardis in themselves. They can transport me to their very soul simply by gazing at them. A rare talent indeed!
That first photo speaks volumes. You always capture the light and essence of a place so well. Congratulations to Remi for being part of such a prestigious exhibition. The said sounds like he was ahead of his time. Have a wonderful week in beautiful Arles.
Thank you, Edgar for your from the heart response and kind words. I will pass on your wishes to Remi too.
What would you like to know, beautiful Marsha? 🙂 I am really happy that you enjoyed this so much–it was even more special somehow in that it really came out of "seemingly" nowhere, although Anastasia, who has worked so closely on the relics believes that St. Cesaire himself sent Remi to her just in the nick of time. I believe that too.
Oh hooray. Truly one of my favorite contemporary albums. I had to finally put it away for awhile because I had listened to it too much!
It was a truly lovely evening, DA. Merci!
Photographs exhibited with a saint means honor and achievement.
Birds at the beginning and a solo flight at the end and a captured half moon are touches of art.
Congratulations to you and Remi. And thank you.