11 juin 2007
Manosque
It is probably at the fifth century that the first church of Manosque was built and dedicated to Notre-Dame.
“Any door to believe that the current statue of Notre-Dame de
Romigier started to be honoured in this church as of the time with its
construction, about the fifth century and at the latest, with the
sixth. It had, undoubtedly, with the monks of Saint-Victor of
Marseilles, as well as the sarcophagus in which it made locked up
during the invasion of Buckwheats and which, initially, was used as
furnace bridge. These monks, not only, appear to have enriched Manosque
by this double treasure, at least but, moreover, they still appear to
have equipped it with the building itself which contained them, or to
have contributed to the construction of the church which made destroyed
by the sectateurs of Mahomet. ”
(Notre-Dame de Romigier, by the abbot Bousquet, end XIXe century, p. 6)
Before the destruction of the city by Buckwheats, the virgin of
Manosque was in great veneration and one came in pilgrimage to call
upon his protection. To withdraw it from the profanation plunderers, a
pious heart buried the statue in a white marble sarcophagus. Returning
in the borough many years later, Manosquins had lost the memory of the
statue. The person who had buried it had died and null did not know
where was this statue. It is a ploughman who worked a field in the
enclosure of the city, which saw one day its oxen falling to knees and
refusing to advance. Alerted by this strange fact, one dug the ground
and one discovered the statue under a bramble bush. These are the
brambles (roumi into of Provence) which gave its name of Romigier to
the statue and then with the church which shelters it.
This building which was altered several times, was built at the end of the tenth century on the ruins of the primitive church destroyed by Buckwheats around year 900.
The geographical position of this sanctuary in the center of the old city tends to let to us believe that this place was always the heart of the city. It is probable that before the Christian church there was the Roman temple and before him the Celtic temple around whose the first agglomeration was formed. More than one church, this building is regarded as the heart of the city, the place crowned of Manosquins whatever their belief. It is there that is the miraculous statue of the Virgin to the Jesus Child, the Virgin known as “black” who, after restoration, found her original polychromy. http://lieuxsacres.canalblog.com/archives/vierges_noires__fichier/index.html
The interior of the church is very dark, a heavy atmosphere is felt immediately. Is this due to the manufacturers, wanting to give again the feelings of the primitive cave, where délecte MATER, virgin primitive, materia PRIMA? Or this is due to the pentacle posed in front of the door of the church? Or has a particular intention badly embouchés people?
My first visit made me meet a small quite sad, but happy lady of being able to speak with somebody.
The pentacle is a star with five branches made up thanks to the layout of the diagonals of the regular pentagon. Also called “pentagram” (in Latin “pentangulum”), it was the sign of Pythagoriciens because, according to Pythagore, the pentacle is a sign symbolizing the harmony, the beauty and health. Later, it was the symbol, for the gnostic ones, of the 5 elements (light, ground, water, fire, air)
Now, the symbolic system of star with five branches is generally interpreted like symbol of the black magic, Despite everything, it must be specified that the star with five branches does not represent the satanism only if none of its points points to the top (the form then pointing out the head of a goat), in the contrary case, the symbol is supposed to carry happiness.
Lastly, the pentacle has a very important role in the masonic symbolic system: “the blazing star”. Angles being filled of rays (or flames) as well as “G” (meaning Gnosis) registered in the center of star: it represents “the sun, which lights the ground of its rays and makes benefit humanity from its benefits, by getting for all the inhabitants ground the life and the light”. (An article of Wikipédia, the free encyclopaedia.)
It is without forgetting that Manosque was under the cut of the knights of Malta. It is thus more than probable that this order of frank masons at the head had many other ideals. Capacity! This pentacle playing protection is probably only the remainders of a capacity malefic which is always present nowadays. (toutelaverite.com)
There, flat… It is true that my first visit was disconcerting, but the second… the small lady found a little its forces of life!