Notre-Dame Abbey

In Saintes, I found the church of my dreams, the church that I just felt so connected to and couldn't get enough of.  It was the church connected to the Abbey in Saintes.  Dating back to the 11th century, work continued on the church throughout the centuries, I thought it was going to be another romanesque/gothic church like the ones we have been seeing in the villages we drive by or in the towns we stay in.  This church was different though.  The outside arches were decorated with scenes of martyrs, angelic figures, and apostles.  Of course the hand of God was descending towards the entrance.  Entering in the church, your eyes were immediately turned to the large and vibrant tapestries hanging on the walls.  They were huge and made in the 20th century I believe.  The artist who created them used the most fiabrent* of colors.  They just pop out at you.  I don't know what it was about those tapestries, but they seemed to transform the church into this wonderful new creation of sorts.  It was an old church, but it seemed young and new with those tapestries and simplistic decorations that were mainly limited to a sheet over the altar and some flowers and candles.  The large and clumped together thin columns that connected to the arches and vaults just made the place come alive.  Even though the church was not painted on the inside, naturally, the tapestries seemed to shine light and give color to the entire place.  Everywhere there seemed to be a light, happy little thought and feeling.  That is what I want my church to look like.  A place that takes both the old and the new, a place that evokes a happy little feeling inside everyone, a place that is both simplistic and overwhelming at the same time.  This church was just absolutely awe-inspiring.  I know not everyone will see this church the way I do, but it really is just amazing, blending the past with the present. Creating something new out of the old, and putting the old to use.