The Dali Sundial and Église Saint-Séverin

The cadran solaire de Dali (Dali sundial) mounted on the wall at 27, rue Saint-Jacques was a gift from surrealist artist Salvador Dali to the city of Paris. In 1966 Dali himself presented this gift to Paris to the accompaniment of a brass band.

Its outline is the form of a coquille St-Jacques (scallop).The flaming eyebrows represent the sun's rays. At the bottom of the shell, the base looks suspiciously like Dali’s iconic handlebar moustache. In the bottom right-hand corner is Dali's signature and the date he unveiled the design to the public. It may or may not be a stretch to say that this sundial represents Dali himself, keeping in mind “dial” is an anagram for Dali, and  Dali painted “Self-Portrait Sundial,” also in 1966, using the same motif. 

The Dali sundial on the right and Église Saint-Séverin across the street on the left 

The sundial is on the route many pilgrims traveled on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, one of Christianity’s three main pilgrimage destinations (Rome and the Holy Land are the other two.)  The tomb of Saint James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain, is located there, and by the 11th and 12th centuries,  a half-million pilgrims a year were traveling on the Way of Saint James to Santiago. Saint James was the subject of one of Dali’s monumental (very large) paintings and attested to Dali’s loyalty to his Spanish heritage.  The scallop shell became the symbol of the pilgrimage because the shells were common along the Atlantic beaches just west of Santiago. Travelers would wear a scallop shell to proclaim their status as pilgrims. The sundial has intrinsic value because it was created by Dali, but aside from the artistry, it is useless as a timepiece because it can’t tell the time of day.

Église Saint-Séverin seen from rue Saint-Jacques 

Rue Saint-Jacques was the main road of Medieval Paris and replaces the Gallo-Roman Cardo Maximus, the south-north road that linked Lutetia (Paris) to Rome.

Having gone through stages of being built and rebuilt ever since the fifth century, in 1520 the Church of Saint-Séverin took on the general appearance it still has today. Gargoyles, whether used as spouts to convey water from a roof away from the side of the building or to scare evil spirits away from the church, are a prominent feature of Saint-Séverin. The elongated  animals are especially good at diverting the water farther away from the wall. The bell tower has one of the oldest bells in Paris, cast in 1412.The tower ends in a sharp steeple, which is just visible in this picture.

Église Saint-Séverin continues in use as a place of worship.

On the interior of the church in the chancel is a group of carved columns that resemble a forest of palm trees that surround a central twisted pillar. 

The chapel of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, a priest of the Catholic Church who dedicated himself to serving the poor.

Les Pauvres sont nos maitres (Poor people are our masters)

St Vincent de Paul

Our Lady of Ostrabrama 

A replica of Our Lady of Ostrabrama was bequeathed to the church by a Polish parishioner in 1840. The original painting is located in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.The painting was displayed above the Vilnius city gate, intended to guard the city from attacks and to bless travelers. It was believed to have miraculous powers. 

Saint-Séverin  contains the relics of Sainte-Ursule, the patron saint of the Sorbonne. 

(Saint-Séverin was the parish church of the students of the Latin Quarter in the 13th century. Latin was the language that served as a medium of communication for all the nationalities who came here to study during the Middle Ages.)

According to legend, Ursula refused to marry a pagan German prince and fled with her ladies-in-waiting. She went on a pilgrimage to Rome and then to Cologne, Germany, but was captured and killed by the Huns around 383.  There is a glass box containing bones wrapped in red ribbon, which are purported, but not authenticated, to be the bones of Ursula and her hand-maidens. Another story, just as interesting, goes a little differently. A Romano-British princess was betrothed to a pagan prince, but before she would marry, she insisted on taking a tour of European holy sites, including a pilgrimage to Rome with her ladies-in-waiting. At the end of this tour, she ended up in Cologne, where the Huns martyred her and her entourage. In either case, Ursula and her hand-maidens suffered an ignominious end. However, no historical records support either story, and the Church removed St. Ursula’s feast day from the calendar in 1969.

Saint Joseph and the Nativity

The stained-glass windows are a major feature of Saint-Séverin. The figurative stained glass windows were financed by wealthy parishioners, and in return, their likenesses were incorporated into the scenes on the windows.

Figurative stained glass window of Christ taken down from the cross

Saint-Martin was a Roman soldier who shared his regal red cloak with a beggar. He pulled his sword from its sheath, lifted it high, and when he let it fall, it cut the fabric of his cloak in two. He gave half the cloth to the beggar in need. The stained glass window records this event.

The seven non-figurative stained glass windows by Jean Bazaine (1904-2001) are based on the Seven Sacraments, rituals in the Catholic church which confer God’s grace on the deserving receiver. They are: Confirmation/Penance/Eucharist/Baptism/Marriage/Extreme Unction/Holy Orders.

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine

 Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine 

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine

Stained-glass by Jean Bazaine with painting

“Noli me tangere” are the words spoken by a newly-risen Christ to a bewildered Mary Magdelene, who recognized him after his resurrection from the tomb. "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.”

The south entrance to Saint-Séverin opens on to a courtyard, surrounded by a covered gallery. 

The courtyard was once a cemetery, and the arcaded gallery contained private niches in the walls for the burial of the wealthy. The bones of the deceased were removed from their graves a few months after their burial and placed in small cavities in the walls in order to free up space for future burials. This was a space-saving practice in big cities due to wars and epidemics during the Middle Ages. 

A close-up look at some gargoyles on the upper right in the gallery

One tombstone that has been retained is that of Nicolas de Beaumont with his wife and their fifteen children kneeling before Christ. 

The Blessed Virgin and child in the courtyard

Robert 

The portal in the background opens out on rue Saint-Jacques.

Becky and pink roses

A garden in a corner of the courtyard

Rue des Prêtres Saint-Séverin

From the church, cross rue Saint-Jacques, and you are on rue Galande. Wedged in a corner where rue Galande and rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre meet is Odette, a cupcake shop and tea room, probably the the most charming patisserie ever. 

Rue Galande continues away from the intersection with rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre.

At the intersection, you are in sight of Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre and, across the Seine River, Notre Dame.