Cathedrals – Haiku 2022 #ThursdayDoors

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inPoetry
Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church, Abbeville France, Main doors – Image credit: Godong | Alamy 

and with the right doors

anyone can build “cathedrals”

preserving them, keys

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Initially built between 1488 – 1592 AD, and still unfinished (for example its transept), stands the Collegiate Church of Saint-Vulfran, Abbeville, France.

Funded in part by the Kings of France, Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church was built to protect the city from the ravages of a plague sweeping across the arrondissements along the Somme River in Northern France, and to house the remains of the patron saint of the same name.

The city’s care for these still fully intact Gothic ensconced Renaissance doors, hand carved by unknown members of the region’s elite group of carpenters known only as the Picardy huchiers (chest makers), is legendary.

For example, to protect these doors from the ravages of numerous battles throughout history in the region, the doors have been painstakingly removed and hurried away to safety (see images below) while the rest of the church building suffered significant damage/fire — damage that in some cases took decades to repair.

Below, local and allied soldiers removing Saint Vulfran’s main doors carting them away for safekeeping prior to the town’s bombardment (1940):

Saint Vulfra, Main Doors removed during WWII – Image credit: Wikimedia CC 4.0 and  French Licence Ouverte 1.0 

Below, removing the doors to carry them to safer ground on 8 July 1918 – World War I:

Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church, Main doors removed for safety during World War 1 (taken on 8 July 1918 – Image credit: Dufor | Wikimedia CC 4.0

Photo of Saint Vulfran’s main doors circa 1859 below:

Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church, Main doors circa 1859 Image credit: Auguste-Rosalie Bisson | Canadian Center for Architecture

Door detail closeup below – its top panel features the life of Mary, Mother of Jesus:

Main Doors panels – Saint Vulgran Collegiate Church, Abbeville – Image credit: Johan Allard | Wikimedia CC 4.0

Trivia: World War II damage (20 May to 4 June 1940), to Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church was so severe the repairs took decades. The Church was finally reopened for service in 1998.

Wider angle Saint Vulfran Collegiate Church below:

Église Saint-Vulfran d’Abbeville – Image credit: © Raimond Spekking | Wikimedia CC 4.0

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Written for #ThursdayDoors – Hosted by Dan Antion @ NoFacilities

Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

63 thoughts on “Cathedrals – Haiku 2022 #ThursdayDoors”

  8. Amazing doors, and a beautiful poem, Suzette. I love the history and the fact that they worked so hard to protect the doors and then to restore the cathedral to its original beauty.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Every photo of the doors in the typanum, I could find reminds me of beautiful old lace within a hemmed garment. They are exquiste, perhaps made moreso by the obvious good energy/care they have received over the centuries.
      Thank you for always visiting and commenting. Much appreciated.
      Thank you for your work hosting ThursdayDoors, Dan. Cheers.

      Liked by 2 people

  9. ⛪“cathedrals”⛪

    Love how you inverted the word
    Pressurized air through the organ pipes
    Sounds glorious especially in the building of of the bishop’s diocese

    Liked by 2 people

  10. ⛪hand carved by unknown members of the region’s elite group of carpenters known only as the Picardy huchiers (chest makers), is legendary⛪

    Oh my word, this reads like the collective works left behind by the unknow Poet.
    How precious that the city continues to endow their work with care and protection.

    Liked by 2 people

  20. This beautiful poem reminds me of faith and hope, and how they are doorways to our heart, proving to be the perfect keys to unlock many hidden mysteries. Lovely poem, Suzette. Happy coming Friday, my friend.

    Liked by 2 people

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