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PENITENTS
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BLUE PEnitents The oldest brotherhood is that of <The Royal and Devoted Brotherhood of Blue Penitents of Montpellier> in 1050. Although the existence of this brotherhood within the parish was fleeting, it deserves to be remembered. Its very creation denotes an era of religious renovation (1622). Religion was making something of a comeback; the fervour was such that individuals rivalled each other in their piety and zealousness. Mgr Cohon confirmed this in his ruling of 26 May 1622. Members of this religious brotherhood devoted themselves to the care of the sick, infirm and dying. They congregated in the hospital chapel. The sitting of this brotherhood lasted only forty years. The penitents, for the most part poor, were always few in number, and with inadequate resources they decided to merge with other, pre-existing brotherhoods. This mergence was recognised in the Episcopal order of 10 December 1703.
GREY
PENITENTS The Grey Penitents Brotherhood of Aigues-Mortes was created around 1400s on the site of a former Cordeliers Convent (Franciscan monks so-called because of their rope belts), presented in 1248 by Louis IX to the inhabitants of Aigues-Mortes. These Cordeliers are the true founders of the Brotherhood of Grey Penitents. In actual fact, they welcomed the brothers into their church and permitted them to chant. And as the Penitents increased in number and were always ready to help the town, the monks offered a portion of their cemetery in order that the penitents could baptise their first chapel. During the religious wars of 1575, the chapel was destroyed and rebuilt in 1607 in the surrounding area. At this time the Brotherhood grew to such an extent that, following dissension amongst the more senior brothers, a second brotherhood was created and given the name White Penitents. During the course of the XVIIth C the chapel grew and embellished itself until in 1687, constructed a fitting altarpiece. <The passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ>. Constructed by Jean Sabatier in 1688, the piece is stucco with decoration in fake marble. During the 1789 Revolution, the chapels were transformed into blacksmiths, and the high-altar and the altar piece were only preserved thanks to the vigilance of the blacksmith, himself a penitent, who piled up protective bundles of straw in front. The rest of the furniture was destroyed. The high-altar was constructed in white Carrara marble and marble polychrome, a subsequent gilt-edging was described in the Account records but this was either never carried out or else has since disappeared. The altar was built by Pierre Antoine Rosier in 1838. For the most part, the congregation was made up of laymen, People of the region recognised for their Christian virtue. Their aim was not simply to perform priest-lead ceremonies, maintaining liturgical traditions and singing Gregorian chants, but equally to aid the sick and the poor. It was a pivotal, social role.
WHITE PENITENTS The White Penitents and their Chapel
The brotherhood was founded in 1625 and in 1668, they constructed their Chapel. Their basic goal was the same as that of the Grey Penitents. The Chapel was placed under the protection of Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit represented by Columbine.
Xavier Sigalon's fresco This monumental and remarkable Fresco, which retraces the descent of the holy spirit, the day of Pentecost, is attributed to the painter Xavier Sigalon. Born Uzès 1788, died in Rome 1837, he moved to Paris sometime after having painted this fresco and entered into Workshop Guérin. His first painting in 1822 showed <The Young Courtisan>, and is today displayed in the Louvre. In 1833 Thiers tasked Sigalon with travelling to Rome to copy the Friezes by Michael Angelo in the Cistene Chapel. It was approximately three years later, in front of the Thermes de Dioclétiens in Rome, that he presented his admirable copy of the <Last Judgement>. Sigalon returned to Rome to copy the twelve figures of the Colossus <The Sibyl and the prophets>, he had hardly begun this undertaking when he died of cholera. Holy Spirit and is a reminder of the faith of the Lord. <Happy is he who lives in the God’s Faith> Due to such paintings, the chapel of White Penitents has been placed under the "Vocable des cinq plaies" This crescent shaped canvas depicts the figure of Christ surrounded by his disciples, the holy women Mary Jacobée and Mary Salomé in the company of Holy Virgin Mary; the apostles surround the master. The purity of the painting is noteworthy, but there are two particularly striking details. The first being Saint Thomas’ foot and the second hand of the Lord, red with blood, when - according to the Gospel - Thomas the unbeliever plunged his hands into Christ’s wound in order to see for himself, in the most categorical way, the presence of the Divine Master. To the far left, in a white robe, Saint Peter is so overcome at the sight that he appears to be crying. To the right, the disciples and the Evangelists are all worshipping whilst it seems that the Holy Spirit has just enlightened them and given them their tasks to fulfil. In a lightened robe, John is writing on tablets ….. The way the apostle is painted, his expression truly expressive and full of live, is to be greatly admired by the observer as, from every angle, it appears that it is they themselves who he is watching. The tableau quartet on the virgin Mary by Auguste Glaize The tableau quartet was completed between 1846 and 1847 by Auguste Barthélemy Glaise. The Brotherhood of White Penitents to whom, for all intents and purposes, it seems was the destination of these paintings, maintains in its archives a handwritten note by the painter mentioning the forthcoming projects; only one of the latter was certainly received by the brotherhood <l’Adoration des Mages>; the original discussion included the work <l’Annonciation>, <l’Adoration des bergers> et <La sainte famille>. |
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