The Well of Moses

I slept in this morning. A lot. I had planned to go to market around 9:00, but I didn't get out of bed till 10:00, and I mucked about here till close to 11:00. Market closes at noon. Oops. I'll go next week. Mom asked me to take some pictures of the vendor stalls outside the market, so check back for those later.

Frédéric, Mathilde, and I went out this afternoon to do a touristy thing in the city. We visited the Puits de Moïse, or the Well of Moses, at the Chartreuse mental hospital. The story goes that the Dukes of Burgundy built a monastery here for the Chartreuse monks in the 14th century. The monks lived in silence, working and praying for the well-being of the Dukes. Just after the French Revolution, the monastery was given to the then Minister of Finance, who decided to disassemble the monastery, to sell the stone. The tombs of the Dukes under the church were desecrated, all the bones were piled in a corner. All the walls were sold, and the monastery fell into ruin. Except for a tower, a gate, and a well, everything was gone. A few decades later, the French government decided to rebuild the monastery in the manner that it was before. The mental hospital was built later around the site, because it was on the edge of town and there was a lot of free space. And that's what I saw today.

This is the outside of the chapel. The stone is over 200 years old! 

One of the pieces still standing from the original monastery. The monks would climb the stairs, draw water from a well nearby, and pour it down a trough so it could run into the monastery. The stairs are newer, but the rest of the stone is over 700 years old. 

A very serene little promenade. The trees on the left are being trained to grow flat. 

The tower that has persevered through 700 years of war, pollution, and destruction. Originally there was a spiral staircase that the Dukes of Burgundy could climb to overlook their empire. Now it's home to hundreds of pigeons. 

Just outside the chapel. From the left: John the Baptist, one of the first Dukes of Burgundy, the virgin Mary, the duke's wife at the time, and lady Justice. 

The detail in these sculptures is awesome. Originally, this doorway only housed the Duke and Duchess, and the virgin Mary. John the Baptist and lady Justice were added later. you can tell that John the Baptist is newer because the pleats in his robe are horizontal, and the Duke's are vertical. 

Our guide spent a lot of time talking about the level of detail put into Mary's face. She really is beautiful. 

The Duchess and lady Justice. 

The inside of the chapel. The angels are each playing a different musical instrument. Music was very important to the Dukes of Burgundy. 

The chapel. Ancient and incredible.

This is the housing of the Well of Moses. Only the first stage remains. Originally, this was a fountain, with a 7-meter tall golden cross on top. It was one of the first things that was sold. It has never been found. The fountain featured Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross with her arms wrapped around it. Her arms are now in the Museum of Archaeology here. 

Varnished bricks around the outside of the house of the Well of Moses. 

Each of these statues is a life-sized representation of a prophet from the Bible. The names appear at the bottom. This is Moses. If you look, you can see that he has horns on top of his head. This is due to an error in the translation of the Bible. In the story when he descends from Mount Sinai with the tablets declaring the Ten Commandments, he is described as having a "couronne," or crown of light upon his head. It was mistranslated as "cornes," or horns. 

King David. The blue isn't paint, but lapis lazuli imported from Pakistan to make this statue. 

Zacharias. The details in the sculpture are incredible. The sculptor was Claus Sluter, and this statue was considered to be his greatest achievement. He took 11 years to make it (1395-1406), but the work is awesome. 

Daniel. The sculptor worked for ages on the beards and hair on each character, and the angels' wings are incredibly detailed. 

The prophet Zaid. This guy is particularly awesome. Not only can you see the wrinkles in his forehead, but the sculptor included the vein at his temple. 

The leaves around the sculpture are all oak, in various seasons of the year. This is a close-up of Zaid's face and Daniel's beard. 

A couple of the tassels have fallen off of Zaid's bag over time, and apparently there used to be a dagger in his scabbard there. The detail on the belt is astounding. You can even see the veins in his hand. 

It's crazy to think that the pages in that book are stone. The face on the right is that of one of the principal Dukes of Burgundy, though the statue claims to be of Jeremiah. 

A beautiful, tranquil stream just outside the monastery. It's hard to believe that this place is right next to downtown Dijon. The tranquility of this area was wonderful. I hope to come back soon to get some more pictures of the rest of the hospital. Considering how cramped the rest of the city is, it's very nice to see a place that sprawls like things do back home. 

For dinner tonight I baked a sort of cheese quiche/pie/traditional Dijon dish thing. It was delicious. It was puff pastry with a filling of l'époisse cheese (a local specialty), apples, ham, and eggs. I also baked a spectacular chocolate praline cake for breakfast tomorrow. Frédéric and Mathilde are going to church first thing tomorrow morning, so I get the morning to fluff about the house and get ready for school Monday. And eat cake, and hopefully go for a run to work off the cake. 

UPDATE: The bus drivers here are going on strike Monday. Bus service will be happening, but only at about 35% of what we normally have. So instead of having a bus every 3-6 minutes, it's every 30. Just like back home. Not as bad as I had anticipated, but still incredibly inconvenient. I'm just glad I'll be able to get to my first day of school. 

It's off to bed with me now. Hopefully I won't sleep in so late tomorrow. If I do, there may not be cake left. I'm really excited about this cake. Can you tell? :)

À bientôt!