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Sculpture

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CRÈCHE

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Object

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CHILD JESUS

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Painting

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ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS

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Graphic art

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NATIVITY

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ADORATION OF THE MAGI

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THE HOLY FAMILY IN EGYPT

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HOLY FAMILY

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WASHING OF THE FEET

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THE LAST SUPPER

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INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST

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THE ARREST OF CHRIST

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ECCE HOMO

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WAY OF THE CROSS

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RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

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NOLI ME TANGERE

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SUPPER AT EMMAUS

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THE SENDING OF THE DISCIPLES ON MISSION

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ASCENSION

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PENTECOST

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VIRGIN AND CHILD

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EDUCATION OF THE VIRGIN

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Textile

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COPE OF THE ANNUNCIATION

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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

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ASSUMPTION

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ASSEMBLY OF SAINTS

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SAINT SEBASTIAN

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RELIQUARY ALTAR

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PORTABLE RELIQUARY

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RELIQUARY CALENDAR

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OUR LADY OF MONTLIGEON

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The religious heritage bears witness to a tradition of embellishing church decor that has been uninterrupted since the Middle Ages, with constants and original features specific to the region, in this case Normandy. 
From the white coat of churches of the evangelization of the territory to the contemporary dechristianization, the evolution of the forms and images proposed to the faithful translates the historical ruptures and the evolution of the mentalities, the conception that the man makes of God and that which the Church seeks to promote. 


By the rhythm of the centuries

The great Christian feasts punctuate our calendar, but the Christian year begins on December 1st, which inaugurates the time of Advent dedicated to the expectation of the birth of Christ on December 25th. The resurrection of Christ is celebrated at Easter, whose moving date determines those of the Ascension and Pentecost. August 15 is the Assumption, the most important feast dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Finally, November 1st celebrates All Saints' Day, which commemorates all saints, known or unknown, and is extended to all the deceased.

By the rhythm of the holidays

Surprise

It was on the occasion of the first census of the inhabited world ordered by Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, that Joseph, accompanied by a pregnant Mary, went from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. According to Saint Luke, Mary, having reached full term, gives birth to Jesus and lays him in a manger because there is no room in the inn.

If the medieval Nativity likes to show the Child Jesus, lying on the ground on straw, surrounded by Mary and Joseph in prayer and warmed by the breath of the ox and the donkey, in the greatest humility, the theme evolves quickly, associated with that of the Adoration of the shepherds, to blossom in the 17th century in a scene animated by the presence of many characters who came to bring their offerings.

The Adoration of the Magi is usually included in the Nativity cycle, even though it occurs later in the infancy of Christ. From the first representations, the iconography has been fixed: Mary is seated, Jesus on her knees, and welcomes the Magi, the first of whom, with his crown on the ground, prostrates himself while the other two, standing, prepare to pay homage in their turn.

These wise men who came from the East, guided by a star, to lay precious gifts at the feet of Christ excited the imagination. Three in number, they are credited with the title of kings and symbolize the three ages of life and the three parts of the world then known: Asia, Africa and Europe. Similarly, the gold, a sign of royalty, the incense evoking divinity and the myrrh, an allusion to death, testify to the Magi's recognition of the nature of Christ, called to reign not only over the Jewish people but over all nations, redeeming all humanity.

Shortly afterwards, Herod, king of the Jews, feeling threatened by this birth, orders the killing of all newborns and Joseph, warned by an angel, flees to Egypt to save his family. This exodus ends after seven years, with the death of Herod. This is when the return from Egypt takes place, showing the holy family on the march.

Christmas

Easter is the most important festival in Christianity. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, symbol of the victory of life over death.

The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, is dedicated to celebrating the last days of Jesus' life as described in the Gospels. According to these accounts, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover feast, although he risks being arrested by the Romans. He is welcomed with enthusiasm by the people, who place branches under the steps of the donkey that serves as his mount. It is Palm Sunday, one week before Easter. 

The Last Supper, commemorated on Holy Thursday, is the last meal Jesus had with his disciples to celebrate the Jewish Passover. He instituted the Eucharist, that is, the sharing of bread and wine, the central element of the Christian mass. It is at the end of this meal that one of his disciples, Judas, delivers him to the Romans in exchange for money. Jesus is arrested in the night. 

Good Friday is dedicated to the trial and execution of Jesus. He was judged by a Jewish religious court, then by Pontius Pilate, a Roman prefect who sentenced him to death for rebellion against the authority of theRoman Empire. He undergoes the torture of crucifixion and dies before nightfall. The account of these events is called the Passion. These sufferings, undergone by God who became man, have a great importance for Catholics: they are the price that Jesus pays to save men from their sins. They are commemorated in the Way of the Cross.

The Gospel does not tell the story of the resurrection, but it does give testimonies, the first of which is the discovery of the empty tomb by the holy women as they went to anoint Jesus' body with spices. An angel standing beside the tomb tells them that Christ has risen. Jesus then appears to Saint Mary Magdalene, then to two disciples, then to others.

Easter

According to the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of Christ were practicing community prayer with some women, including Mary, when they received the Holy Spirit who appeared as tongues of fire descending from heaven and resting on them. The immediate consequence for the apostles is their ability to speak other languages. A symbol of the universal mission of the apostles, restoring the unity lost at Babel, Pentecost corresponds to the birth of the Church, which Mary personifies. 

Pentecost

Celebrated on August 15, the Assumption is the most important festival in honor of the Virgin. It celebrates his death, his resurrection, his entry into paradise and his coronation. 

Mary occupies a special place in Christianity, even though she appears little in the Gospels. The legend supplements it and many accounts relate its conception, its birth, its childhood and its marriage, fixing the bases of its iconography. 

Having accepted to be the mother of Christ, son of God, she occupies the first place among the saints, privileged mediator for the faithful. Like Jesus, she fully lived the human condition and, like him, she was born without sin, which was proclaimed in 1854 by the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. She did not escape death but was taken directly to heaven and welcomed into paradise. 

If the feast of the Assumption was instituted as early as 813, it became more widespread in France after the birth of the future Louis XIV in 1638, the result of a vow to the Virgin made by Louis XIII who was desperate to have an heir. This very ancient tradition did not become a truth of faith for the Church until 1950: Mary, the model of faith, completely available to God, is the first to see the promise of resurrection made to all men fulfilled.

Assumption

The saints have a special importance in the Christian religion because they are and have been the object of worship by the faithful. Their exemplary lives that bring them closer to the perfection of God make them unsurpassable models. They also fulfill an intercessory role, as they are believed to have the ability to intervene on behalf of men with God. The faithful also sometimes expect them to heal, counsel and console. 

Relics and reliquaries still attest to the importance of their cult. If the relics, material remains of a saint such as a bone or an object that belonged to him, testify for the faithful to his presence and his ability to intercede with God, their veneration could sometimes border on superstition.

The celebration of the feast of All Saints on November 1st is a Catholic specificity that appeared in the West in the 8th century. This celebration includes not only all the canonized saints, that is, those whose virtues have been officially recognized by the Church, but also all the unknown saints whose lives have earned them eternal bliss. This feast therefore reminds all the faithful of the universal vocation to holiness.

The commemoration of all the faithful departed, also called Day of the Dead, is celebrated the following day. It was instituted to get God to deliver souls from purgatory, the place where the dead must purify themselves of their sins before entering paradise. It is a question of realizing the communion of saints, that communion between all the members of the Church, living and dead, on earth and in heaven, whose solidarity is exercised towards each other, the faithful asking for the help of those in heaven and praying in return for their definitive purification.

All saints’ day