LordRsmacker
Abominable Snowman
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 724
This is a strange one, possibly not "Fortean" as such, and may possibly end up in the "It Didn't Happen To Me!" section, but we'll see...
I might well be losing it, but last night, I woke up in the small hours having dreamed of a derelict church, and it's been driving me mad all day today, in a way that no dream ever has before.
This church is in France, perhaps, and I can't decide if I've actually been there or not!
I have a "memory", I think, of seeing this place on my travels through Europe. Every Summer I take about a month off and head off to the Continent on my motorbike, no plan, no route, just ride to the sun. I often spot interesting stuff, buildings, scenery, blah blah, and stop off for a quick nosey. Stuff that I haven't paid attention to where it is exactly, sometimes because I think "I'll stop on the way home and have a proper look at that", but then later regret because I have no idea how to find it again!
Sometimes I get the camera out, sometimes it's just too much ball-ache (I really should get a decent compact to keep in my breast pocket). This was obviously one of those times, perhaps I had just got going, then pulled off the road. Sometimes it's a pain to see so much amazing stuff when you really want to get South down the road to the sunshine, so I hop off, have a quick squint round, then zoom off again.
So, there's a huge gothic church (maybe a cathedral), with a large lawn in front of it. There is a car park set to the right of it as you look at it, and perhaps a coach parked up. This church is obviously in the process of being demolished, so I stop, there may be some interesting swag to be had, he he. (How I'm going to carry anything on my motorbike is beside the point)
Anyway, it's disappointing in so much as there are no gargoyles, statues, there are no crosses, no religious stuff, it's just the shell of the building, but it's not at the point where masonry is coming down. There are no hi-viz vests, no barriers, but this is France, they are less uptight about that sort of thing! It's huge, obviously, and impressive, even (or perhaps because of) the lack of religious claptrap.
Now, attached to the left of this gothic church, there is another building, which when I enter, is another smaller church or chapel, there is an altar and pews are stacked up, people are milling about, but these people are not pro-demolition chaps, they are "ordinary" people, and seem to be stripping the place before the knuckleheads move in with the wrecking ball.
It's dusty, there is scaffolding up, I can taste the lath and plaster, the dirt when you pull down an old ceiling or wall. It's one of those places where there's noise and people about, then all of a sudden, you find yourself alone, and you aren't sure if you are supposed to be there and if you might get locked in. It's kind of eerie, but then the door clatters open and people come back in, chattering, and start prising up the timber blocks of the floor.
But that's not all. There is a further church to the far left, a much smaller, and much older church, almost like an English country church. I can see myself walking away from the derelict churches and into this smaller, darker place. I don't think this place is about to be knocked down, there is lots of the usual church gubbins, crosses, ironwork etc, it's in good repair. The light comes from candles, and the front half of the church, the altar end, is closed off by a glass wall and door. Is there some sort of relic kept there?
I walk round, but, as I'm not in the least religious, unlike the other people in there, who are doing all the "Spectacles, testicles, wallet & watch" nonsense, I have little interest in it as a place of worship, so I leave quite quickly. I get back outside to the bike, and I'm away...
This is doing my nut in, I cannot decide whether I have seen this or just dreamed it. I told my Mum this afternoon about it, and she seems to recall me saying something about a church demolition a couple of years ago, but not going into much detail.
I can't believe I have such vivid images in my head, but have no clue if it's real. Typing this out, it seems more like a dream. Explaining it to my old dear today, and her response, made me sure it had happened.
It may not even have been France, it could have been Spain, Italy, perhaps even Greece. I don't even know what year, other than between 7 and 5 years ago.
Somebody help me out here, are there any lists of churches demolished recently in France? I'm rarely troubled by dreams, but I couldn't get back to sleep this morning, and it's still occupying my mind fully, as it has all day.
Maybe it all means something really important. Maybe it means I'm getting old and it's just a brainfart...
I might well be losing it, but last night, I woke up in the small hours having dreamed of a derelict church, and it's been driving me mad all day today, in a way that no dream ever has before.
This church is in France, perhaps, and I can't decide if I've actually been there or not!
I have a "memory", I think, of seeing this place on my travels through Europe. Every Summer I take about a month off and head off to the Continent on my motorbike, no plan, no route, just ride to the sun. I often spot interesting stuff, buildings, scenery, blah blah, and stop off for a quick nosey. Stuff that I haven't paid attention to where it is exactly, sometimes because I think "I'll stop on the way home and have a proper look at that", but then later regret because I have no idea how to find it again!
Sometimes I get the camera out, sometimes it's just too much ball-ache (I really should get a decent compact to keep in my breast pocket). This was obviously one of those times, perhaps I had just got going, then pulled off the road. Sometimes it's a pain to see so much amazing stuff when you really want to get South down the road to the sunshine, so I hop off, have a quick squint round, then zoom off again.
So, there's a huge gothic church (maybe a cathedral), with a large lawn in front of it. There is a car park set to the right of it as you look at it, and perhaps a coach parked up. This church is obviously in the process of being demolished, so I stop, there may be some interesting swag to be had, he he. (How I'm going to carry anything on my motorbike is beside the point)
Anyway, it's disappointing in so much as there are no gargoyles, statues, there are no crosses, no religious stuff, it's just the shell of the building, but it's not at the point where masonry is coming down. There are no hi-viz vests, no barriers, but this is France, they are less uptight about that sort of thing! It's huge, obviously, and impressive, even (or perhaps because of) the lack of religious claptrap.
Now, attached to the left of this gothic church, there is another building, which when I enter, is another smaller church or chapel, there is an altar and pews are stacked up, people are milling about, but these people are not pro-demolition chaps, they are "ordinary" people, and seem to be stripping the place before the knuckleheads move in with the wrecking ball.
It's dusty, there is scaffolding up, I can taste the lath and plaster, the dirt when you pull down an old ceiling or wall. It's one of those places where there's noise and people about, then all of a sudden, you find yourself alone, and you aren't sure if you are supposed to be there and if you might get locked in. It's kind of eerie, but then the door clatters open and people come back in, chattering, and start prising up the timber blocks of the floor.
But that's not all. There is a further church to the far left, a much smaller, and much older church, almost like an English country church. I can see myself walking away from the derelict churches and into this smaller, darker place. I don't think this place is about to be knocked down, there is lots of the usual church gubbins, crosses, ironwork etc, it's in good repair. The light comes from candles, and the front half of the church, the altar end, is closed off by a glass wall and door. Is there some sort of relic kept there?
I walk round, but, as I'm not in the least religious, unlike the other people in there, who are doing all the "Spectacles, testicles, wallet & watch" nonsense, I have little interest in it as a place of worship, so I leave quite quickly. I get back outside to the bike, and I'm away...
This is doing my nut in, I cannot decide whether I have seen this or just dreamed it. I told my Mum this afternoon about it, and she seems to recall me saying something about a church demolition a couple of years ago, but not going into much detail.
I can't believe I have such vivid images in my head, but have no clue if it's real. Typing this out, it seems more like a dream. Explaining it to my old dear today, and her response, made me sure it had happened.
It may not even have been France, it could have been Spain, Italy, perhaps even Greece. I don't even know what year, other than between 7 and 5 years ago.
Somebody help me out here, are there any lists of churches demolished recently in France? I'm rarely troubled by dreams, but I couldn't get back to sleep this morning, and it's still occupying my mind fully, as it has all day.
Maybe it all means something really important. Maybe it means I'm getting old and it's just a brainfart...
