Église Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of Paris’s oldest churches and sits in the middle of one of the city’s most exciting, interesting neighborhoods. Each time I visit Paris, I hop on the Metro and zoom over to the Church.
It’s always one of my first stops when I’m in town, mostly because I still light a candle there in memory of my Grandmother. I took the image shown above and tucked into the middle is one candle taller than the rest. That one’s for you, Grandma.
On one visit, it was a cold, dark, rainy day, and mist covered the church steeple. I walked up to the steps and pushed against the closed front door. It was stuck, so I pushed harder to open it. Behind the door was a small vestibule before you actually entered the Church. I stood there for a moment before opening the second small door. The door opened a couple of inches, and as I entered, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
The Church was rather dark, and suddenly a ray of sunshine poured through one of the windows like a beacon directed to me. At almost the same moment, I heard an organist begin the opening notes of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” The music became louder and louder, with notes soaring to the very top of the Church. I was transfixed. I thought to myself: “Wow, is this a sign, or what?” I sat down for about 20 minutes while the organist continued practicing. During that time, the music started and stopped, and each time I was stunned that only three people were in the Church for that one session. The organist, my Grandmother, and I.
