Paris - Where is Marguérite? (Stop One - The Hunt)

In October, I had to be in Paris to teach a workshop on playwriting. So I decided to multi-task – and go in search of traces of Marguérite, Queen of France in the 1200’s.

I'm always on the lookout for these "Forgotten Women of France..."

I did find a statue of Marguérite - but not in Paris, in a small church in Auvergne.

Marguérite is Queen One of my Four Queens musical, inspired by sisters in medieval Provence who all become queens.

Clockwise from upper left: Marguérite, Sancie, Béatrice, and Aliénor.

Marguérite is the eldest, so she is the first to marry - and she scores big-time.

Her husband is King Louis IX -a/k/a Saint Louis. He is the most-admired figure in France after Joan of Arc. He is EVERYWHERE. Even on an island (the Île St-Louis, home of Berthillon – destination ice cream).

 

But Marguérite? Hard to find.

So I'm going to look even harder.

I have three days...

 

DAY ONE

 

(Trigger-warning: I get a little playful with religion here. No harm intended. But do stop reading if that offends you.)

My first destination is a long-shot to find Traces of Marguérite - but it's such a cool opportunity, I can't resist.

WHO KNEW the 1st Friday of the month,

they trot out the Crown of Thorns

at La Cathédrale de Notre-Dame in Paris?

 

Even my tour guide friend didn't know that.

And I am going to be in Paris on the first Friday!

 

Hey, Notre Dame! Looking good after the reno's!

What’s the big deal? you ask

What’s the BIG DEAL?? I respond

The Crown of Thorns is the most important relic in all of Christendom – the actual crown Jesus wore (grain of salt here).

No, I don't think it was coated in gold when Jesus wore it.

The second most important relic, IMHO, is Jesus’ foreskin ("prepuce"), which I was privileged to see this summer at the Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques. Google now tells me there are five others. He really was something.

Not the relic itself, but the commemoration. The relic is in a gold box. Isn't that where they should all go?

In 1239, the super-pious King Louis - who will become Saint Louis - buys Jesus' crown from the emperor of Byzantium, who is massively in debt. He pays 135,000 livres - more than half the annual budget of France.

I know he's not barefoot. Best I could do. This is from a statue in le Puy-en-Velay.

When the crown arrives in France, Louis -barefoot and in a simple tunic - walks it on a cushion from the Basilica of St-Denis to Notre-Dame. A 10-kilometer, 2.5- hour walk. That’s far, especially in barefeet. The people are WOWED by this.

 

This may be the windows under which Louis normally sat. But where did Marguérite sit??

Then he builds Sainte-Chapelle as a home for the Crown. Those glorious stained glass windows.

But Sainte Chapelle is PART 3 of this blog series. Stay tuned.

 

How does the Crown end up back in Notre-Dame?

During the Revolution in the late 1700's, many, many holy places were destroyed - and the tabernacle where the crown was kept was burned.

So in 1806, it was moved back to Notre-Dame for safekeeping. Where it remains.

 

In 1896, they added that gold coating. Which is actually an open framework of gold and crystal to protect the crown. Apparently, on it is a branch of zizyphus or Spina Christi, a thorny shrub common in Palestine.

But I don't get close enough to see because - this is uber heartbreaking -

 

After dashing to get there by 4:25 (it's on view 3-5pm) -

And finessing my way around the long line outside -

And glomming onto a group of Asian tourists queueing inside, the last group they let into THE line leading to the crown -

Then the priest in charge sees I'm not Asian and says -

Désolé, vous. C'est fermé.

 I’m crushed. So close and yet so far.

 

It's ok, I tell myself. I can promenade around with the rest of the losers who didn’t get into the Crown line.

 

THEN I AM NOT OK -

Because in that line, people actually get to KISS THE CROWN. Make real contact, with their lips.

On second thought, they kiss it with their wet, perhaps Covid-y lips. Yeah, a priest wipes it off after each person. But it's a quick swipe.

So I’m bummed I don’t get to kiss it - but glad I don’t have to decide whether to do a fake air kiss or go for the gold rush and risk getting Covid.

Kissing the Krown! Koulda been moi! Hm...security looks kinda bored...

FUN FACT: when Louis would travel through France, he would sometimes offer a thorn to that town/dignitary to cement their allegiance. Kind of like giving someone a private jet these days.

 

This is where the crown usually lives. With a piece of the cross and a nail. Wow! Party. Sorry, I'm getting very sacrilegious.

 

Here’s a shot of the now-golden Notre-Dame.

Is it heretical of me to say I prefered the old one? So much more atmospheric...creepy...I could imagine Quasimodo there, ringing his bells...

 

WHERE’S MARGUÉRITE ?

NOWHERE TO BE SEEN

OF COURSE.

EXCEPT In the 9th arrondissement

 STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO OF THE HUNT FOR MARGUÉRITE...