Travels with Olga: A Day Trip in Langeac

Eluiza and I haven't been satisfied with going to Mass at our regular parish, so we sometimes go elsewhere. La Chaise Dieu is my favorite. I like being in the old monastery sitting in the medieval choir stalls, and attending a simple Mass without a lot of "extras". By going to Mass in other towns, we have a chance to see what's available both in terms of Mass and the town's amenities. One Sunday in late October we went to St. Gal in Langeac, which is about 30 minutes from home. After Mass we had lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant and then just walked around the town snapping photos of interesting sights.

The altar is quite striking with its wood-carved monk stalls in the back, a prominent altar, stained glass windows, and dark stone walls. There was only one young priest celebrating the Mass on the day we visited the church. He seemed to be from somewhere in Asia. On another day we visited the church in St. Paulien where an Asian priest was presiding and the choir was led by a few African sisters. The diocese apparently relies on priests and religious from other countries to staff its parishes.

Actually, I felt sorry for this priest. There were not many people attending Mass, and yet he had to do all the things a priest would do to make the Mass reverent and meaningful. It has to be discouraging for a priest to have such low numbers in his congregation as well, especially in such a big building. There is only one Mass at this church on Sunday. Our home parish in Le Puy has two Masses on the weekends and they are quite full: one on Saturday night and the other on Sunday morning.

The art pieces in this church were especially striking, the crucifix and Jesus tomb (above) for their realistic execution and impact as well as the Mother and Child for its brilliant color.

One small side chapel in the back of the church served as a memorial to Mother Agnes, the founder of the Dominican monastery of nuns that lived here 400 years ago. Also known as Agnes of Jesus, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1994. Her feast day is October 19.

Agnès Galand was born on November 17, 1602 in Le Puy-en-Velay. From an early age, she showed a proclivity toward a deep spiritual life. At age seven she consecrated herself to the Virgin Mary. She entered the Dominican Monastic Order of St. Catherine of Siena in Langeac in 1623 and later served as Mistress of Novices and then as Prioress. She was deposed from this office and accepted her removal with indifference and grace.

Agnes was deemed a mystic because she had visions of the Blessed Mother. In one instance, the Virgin appeared to her as putting a gold chain around her neck in her joy with Agnes becoming devoted to her and her Son. According to Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, a French Catholic priest who wrote a number of influential books including those in the field of Mariology, St. Cecilia, accompanied the Blessed Mother and said to her, "Happy are the faithful slaves of the Queen of Heaven, for they will enjoy true freedom."

In 1631, Agnes experienced the most famous of her visions, in which the Blessed Mother urged her to pray for the abbot at the Pébrac monastery, about 20 minutes by car from Langeac. Jean-Jacques Olier was the current abbot and neither he nor Agnes knew each other. While Olier was in a retreat led by Vincent de Paul, he had a vision of Agnes appearing to him. He decided to look her up in Langeac. When they met, Agnes told him her vision: "I have received orders from the Holy Virgin to pray for you. God has destined you to open the first seminaries in France." Olier would eventually found the Society of Saint-Sulpice in 1642 in Paris. Before her death, Agnes encouraged her community to pray for the Church's priests.

For more information about the Pébrac monastery that is associated with the story of Agnes of Jesus, see the blog post.

St. Gal faces the Allier River although its entrance is on the other side of the building in a small city square off from the center of the city.

The exterior of the church is rather simple in form. It has a tower and four bays that serve to frame the background area around the altar.

Near the church tower is a walkway that served as one of the seven gates of the fortified town of Langeac. It included a guardhouse for police surveillance.

In the 14th century on the first Sunday in July, the counts of Mercœur and the lord of Chilhac would enter the city here to lead a mock battle where they and the townspeople threw 1200-1500 eggs at each other.

The Allier River

One of the highlights of Langeac is the scenic Allier River, a 262-mile tributary of the Loire River. A modern bridge (below) connects the town to a small island where various recreational activities take place. Eluiza captured a dramatic photo of it.