The port city of Le Havre was devastated in 1944 during the Battle of Normandy.  5,000 people were killed and over 12,000 homes destroyed, mainly by air attacks from the Allied forces.  After the war, chief architect Auguste Perret rebuilt the city in the modernist style.  In memoriam to the five thousand civilians who died in the conflict, St. Joseph’s Church is one of the most recognizable symbols of the town, built of concrete between 1951 and 1957.  Its bell tower is 107 meters tall and acts as a beacon visible from out at sea, especially when it is illuminated at night.

The Neo-Gothic interior of the church is monumental and impressive:  the square plan contains four clusters of four square pillars supporting the lantern. 

Stained-glass windows in the lantern and in the walls cast a kaleidoscope of colored lights that vary throughout the day.

In 2005, Le Havre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

One of the last existing hermitages in France is L’ermitage Saint-Gerbold near Gratot in Normandy.  Between 1403 and 1418, Philip of Argouges, lord of Gratot, built the chapel dedicated to Gerbold, a 7^th century saint who was the bishop of Bayeux and a resident of nearby Argouges.  Owned by the Argouges family in the 17^th century, the hermitage was transformed into a chapel between 1619 and 1623.  A plot of land was also offered so that the hermit could cultivate his “herb garden.” 

Confiscated and sold as national property during the French Revolution, the building did not return to the Argouges family until the 19^th century where it once again became a hermitage until the death of its last occupant in 1830.  Sold again, its successive owners ignore it and it gradually falls into disrepair and ruin.  The roof finally collapsed in 1947.

Led by its ultimate owner, associations and enthusiasts, the building was classified as a historical monument in 1995.  In 2000 it was purchased by the Conseil général de la Manche who restored it and opened it to the public in 2006.  During excavations, the remains of an old nave were found as well as a statue of Saint-Gerbold.  It had probably been buried by the faithful during the Revolution to save it from destruction.  Dated from the mid-15^th century, the statue is now on view at l’abbaye de Hambye.

According to legend, Saint-Gerbold died in 695 and relics of his body can be found in the Musée Baron Gérard in Bayeux and in l’église du Petit Celland.  He is the patron saint of digestive disorders and his feast day is celebrated on December 4^th.   

The Church of Our Lady of Urville-Nacqueville is the other church I attend on Sundays.  Mass is held here every other week.  The Latin prayer above the doors calls for Christian unity, “May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you.”



It was built in 1958 to replace the churches that were destroyed during the Liberation of 1944.  Architect, François Champart created an unusually large porch to greet visitors with an exterior baptismal font reminding us of rebirth—the cleansing of our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The font is God’s invitation, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water.”  It is right that the holy water of baptism is the first sacred matter that we encounter as be enter into the church.  The water is the price of our admission.  Our baptism, whether as an adult or an infant, symbolically recalls how we have been forever marked as belonging to Christ.

The engraved door of the tabernacle represents the sacrifice of Abraham.  The red lamp indicates that the tabernacle contains the Blessed Sacrament—the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.

The stained glass throughout the church is modern in style.  The fish is a common Christian symbol used since the early days of the Christian Church.
 The statue of the Virgin is the work of sculptor, Ferdinand Parpan.