French rusticism

Author: Liu Sha
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Want to take a trip to the countryside of France? There, you'll find medieval castles, cobblestone paths, rolling vineyards in vibrant colors, and distant historical stories that follow the author's light-hearted writing, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in the enchanting romanticism of France. The author personally experienced the countryside and castles across France, bringing us an immersive visual journey. From the streets of the city to the cobblestone paths of the countryside, from the riverside to the lush vineyards stretching across the mountains, from rich wines to the distant historical stories, from the endless-inducing local cuisine to the warm and simple human spirit, from the solemn historical tales to the love stories unfolding in the countryside and vineyards today. Many years ago, the French literary giant Guy de Maupassant's description of Mont Saint-Michel Abbey left a very deep impression on me: "A huge granite jewel, like a delicate lace, crowded with towers and bell towers." I still remember how I pondered over "granite" and "lace" for a long time. Granite is so solid, how could it be as delicate and graceful as lace? What kind of architecture was this! Later, although I had visited France many times, I never had the chance to go to the north. Unexpectedly, after completing my war journey, I had unknowingly arrived at the foot of Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. Mont Saint-Michel Abbey is located on a desolate island at the junction of Normandy and Brittany on the Atlantic coast of northern France. The so-called desolate island is actually just a giant rock. Legend has it that in the 8th century, the famous Bishop of Avranches, Aubert, saw the image of the Archangel Saint Michael in a dream, so he ordered the construction of a temple for the Archangel on this rock. Since then, Mont Saint-Michel has embarked on a long journey of pilgrimage. Two hundred years later, in the 10th century, roads and villages gradually developed around the temple, and the Benedictine Order began to build an abbey and a chapel on the temple, marking the beginning of Mont Saint-Michel Abbey's journey of construction, restoration, and pilgrimage that lasted for a thousand years. Until last year, Mont Saint-Michel Abbey was still under construction, with the famous cloister of the La Mère de Dieu chapel completed in 2004. According to preliminary statistics by UNESCO, over ten centuries, more than 30,000 designers have participated in the planning and design of Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. And the workers and monks who participated in the construction were even more numerous, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. From the town of Bayeux in Normandy to Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, it takes only 6 hours to drive. Along the way, you will pass through Mont Saint-Michel Wetland, known as "the most beautiful wetland in France." In the past, I once read in Henry James's "The North" about his description of this wetland: "After the tide of the Atlantic recedes, the moist and fragrant earth is revealed in the morning light, and a swan stands there, waiting to leave only until the next tide. Locals say this is the Archangel Saint Michael." Since we passed by, we had to experience it firsthand, so I quickly asked the driver to stop. Because I wanted to take photos, I chose a high spot and climbed up. This ascent completely took me by surprise—the scene before my eyes was exactly the same as what Henry James had described over a hundred years ago. The receding tide had flooded the earth into a marsh, and under the refraction of the afternoon sunlight, it shone like a mirror, with red, yellow, blue, and green reflecting the magnificent beauty of the heavens and the earth. The swan standing on the marsh seemed to be the Archangel Saint Michael described by Henry James. Saint Michael, the warrior god in legend, held great importance in medieval religious beliefs. The New Testament records that Saint Michael defeated the dragon symbolizing the devil, so medieval believers were filled with anticipation and fear as they awaited the afterlife. Thus, Saint Michael became the angel who judged the souls of the devil for believers.