A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."
"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."
~Edmund Burke, October 1790
A Note on Reviews
Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.
Very pretty! And I love the altar as it should look. I placed a bouquet at the side altar of Our Lady on my wedding day, and she has been with me these many years!
Thank you, Agnes! Thank you, Alice! After the wedding my husband and I drove up to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmittsburg, MD and I left my bouquet at the altar in the old chapel there.
Richard, thank you. I also asked the nuns to put some of their relics on the altar. Above my head, right in front of the crucifix is a relic of the True Cross.
Thank you, Esther!
Bagder, that is why I was blessed to find a lady who could do patternless sewing. She made the gown based on the picture of a late Victorian bride.
It is a sad story, Dymphna. When there were only three nuns left the Archdiocese of Baltimore closed down the monastery and claimed the property. The adjoining Academy for Girls, where I used to teach, was also taken over by the Archdiocese. How legal this was is debatable, since the property was owned by the Visitation Order. While the takeover was going on, the magnificent chapel was stripped of many of its valuables by Archdiocesan officials, just about anything that was not nailed to the floor, as was witnessed by students, faculty and friends of the nuns. I suppose since the school is still open, the chapel may still be accessible, although I have no idea what condition it is in. It is heartbreaking for all those who were used to worshiping there.
Oh! Elena, this takes my breath away! You look beyond beautiful: you look like the Queen of Heaven who has just turned in Loving invitation as if to say: "You, too, can be a bride. I will lead you to the Bridegroom, my son, my Jesus, our king and our god, and yours!" What a beatific vision for all of us! Thank you so much for sharing this.
Marie-Antoinette "en gaulle" by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
#1 in Kindle Biographies of Royalty!
Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
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Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
An Amazon Bestseller
Trianon: A Novel of Royal France
My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria
Available from Amazon
The Saga of Marie-Antoinette's daughter, Marie-Thérèse of France
A Novel of the Restoration
In Kirkus Top 20 for 2014! And #1 in Kindle Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
"In every Eden, there dwells a serpent . . . ."
#1 in Kindle History of France!
The Night's Dark Shade: A Novel of the Cathars
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"...Bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters. Give ye a sweet odor as frankincense. Send forth flowers, as the lily...and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles, and bless the Lord in his works." —Ecclesiasticus 39:17-19
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21 comments:
Lovely!!!
+JMJ+
You look so beautiful, Elena!
Did you carry the rosary down the nave with your bouquet?
Thank, Matterhorn!
Yes, E., as well as my great grandmother's missal and an Irish linen handkerchief to "catch the tears." And I had a sixpence in my shoe......
Very beautiful!
Oh that's lovely, absolutely lovely. You look like a classic 1930s bride.
Thank you, Theresa and Dymphna!!!
Perfection!
Very pretty! And I love the altar as it should look. I placed a bouquet at the side altar of Our Lady on my wedding day, and she has been with me these many years!
Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you, Agnes! Thank you, Alice! After the wedding my husband and I drove up to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmittsburg, MD and I left my bouquet at the altar in the old chapel there.
Thank you, Gareth!
Majestic, perhaps the daughter of some European Royal Line?
I love the Altar, you are in the presence of Christ. How appropriate.
Richard
Very, very lovely!
Beautiful! My wife looked far and wide but could not find one wedding dress/gown with sleeves or shoulders covered. :\
Richard, thank you. I also asked the nuns to put some of their relics on the altar. Above my head, right in front of the crucifix is a relic of the True Cross.
Thank you, Esther!
Bagder, that is why I was blessed to find a lady who could do patternless sewing. She made the gown based on the picture of a late Victorian bride.
Is the monastery still open? I would love to visit that chapel.
It is a sad story, Dymphna. When there were only three nuns left the Archdiocese of Baltimore closed down the monastery and claimed the property. The adjoining Academy for Girls, where I used to teach, was also taken over by the Archdiocese. How legal this was is debatable, since the property was owned by the Visitation Order. While the takeover was going on, the magnificent chapel was stripped of many of its valuables by Archdiocesan officials, just about anything that was not nailed to the floor, as was witnessed by students, faculty and friends of the nuns. I suppose since the school is still open, the chapel may still be accessible, although I have no idea what condition it is in. It is heartbreaking for all those who were used to worshiping there.
Oh! Elena, this takes my breath away! You look beyond beautiful: you look like the Queen of Heaven who has just turned in Loving invitation as if to say: "You, too, can be a bride. I will lead you to the Bridegroom, my son, my Jesus, our king and our god, and yours!" What a beatific vision for all of us! Thank you so much for sharing this.
How kind of you, Beautiful Feet! I am humbled beyond words!
What a breathtaking beauty! I tear up looking at that beautiful altar; I remember it so well; and thinking what has become of it, well...
May God bless those nuns, wherever they are today.
Georgette, I don't think I could ever stand to go there again to see what has happened to the chapel.
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