Collegiate Church of Notre Dame, Vernon: Where Gumbo Was #31

TG guessers Andre Pur and Jonathan L were on the right track for Puzzle #31; it is a gothic church, and it is in France. Vernon’s Notre Dame, a few short kilometers from Monet’s gardens and home at Giverny, is worth a visit on its own. I’m actually amazed it wasn’t guessed—it has appeared on TG before, in this picture from a blog on Giverny.

The church’s foundations were laid in 1072, but the building was not completed until the mid-1600s; along the way its styling and size changed quite a bit. As you can see from the pictures, it’s tall and narrow, with enough glass to make it seem very light inside.

The church has many sculptures by regional sculptors in its thirteen chapels, as well as in the altar area. The stained glass windows, beautiful as they are, are modern; the originals were destroyed in World War II bombing. Notre Dame is also noted for its acoustics and its organ, which has 2800 pipes in 31 ranks. It’s the 1615 original, rebuilt again and again, most recently in 1979.

In its checkered history it has changed hands among religious orders, declined and been restored, and even, during the French Revolution, served as a Temple of Reason. It’s the landmark of Vernon, visible from quite a distance.

While the church is one of the oldest buildings in the area, Vernon is noted for the number of medieval buildings in its central core, including the town Tourist Office, just to the left of the church.

And, of course, there’s the Old Mill, sitting on the remnants of an old bridge. This scene was featured as Where in the World #3. Click HERE for more details! Visiting Vernon from Paris is easy; it’s about a 45-minute trip by train from Gare St-Lazare, and costs about 14€.