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Ship of Fools: St Joseph du Havre, Le Havre, France


imageShip of Fools: St Joseph du Havre, Le Havre, France

Parish mass in a factory-sized church of concrete and stained glass

Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here


Comments

  • You can see from the website of the church that it is now part of the ecclesiastical parish of St Martin du Littoral,grouping together St Joseph,St Vincent de Paul,St Denis and notre Dame des Flots. There are now four large (ecclesiastical) parishes covering the whole of Le Havre. The Mystery worshipper would have attended the last sunday Mass at St Joseph until 30th April.From All Saints day until 30 April the sunday Mass is held in the smaller church of St Vincent dePaul.

    St joseph is one of these churches built after the destruction of the Second World War
    There is at least one other church in roughly the same style,for roughly the same reason,Notre Dame de Royan, in the southwest of France, abit north of Bordeaux.
  • I was wondering how they heated such a space in the winter months... Presumably, since they move services tom somewhere more conventional, they dont even try.
  • To complement the Report, here is a little YouTube video (commentary in French) which gives us some idea of the interior of this quite magnificent church:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m09yUf4s12k

    I'm guessing that even a congregation of 300 or so would look a bit sparse!

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Thanks for the link - it is a magnificent church combining a very traditional outline with modern styling without geegaws. Something went funny with the video: it went well until about the 1.15 mark and then froze despite showing an additional couple of minutes to follow. Is there more please?
  • Yes, there is.

    At 1.15, look for the round icon thingy in the top left-hand corner - this allows you to alter the camera angle as you click on the arrows...
  • I remember this church in the 1960s when,in addition to its outstanding architecture ,it was of a very modern liturgical style.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Yes, there is.

    At 1.15, look for the round icon thingy in the top left-hand corner - this allows you to alter the camera angle as you click on the arrows...

    Thanks - I'll give that a try when I get back from coffee
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    The curiosities of electronics - went back to the site and the video went through without interruption. A most impressive church indeed - modern today but will still be good in 100 years.
  • Here is another video with a steadier cameraman than the link above - to whet the appetites for a visit when the church re-opens in Spring.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePS2S74zwXA
  • Thank you @Box Pew - the video shows a spiral staircase (also made of concrete) leading to an observation gallery at the top of the tower, and in addition shows some of the lovely patterns made by the sun shining in though the coloured windows of the tower.

    An outstanding building, and well worth a visit.
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