Lord, Save Us

Notre-Dame de Dives-sur-Mer?was built in 1087, allegedly by William the Conqueror, following his victory over the Saxon monarchy of England. It has survived many periods of damage and restoration, starting with the depredations of the English during the 100 Years War, after which its reconstruction was delayed by the Black Death. A Huguenot army vandalised it during the French Wars of Religion and it was pillaged, for the last time, in 1793 during The French Revolution. Amazingly, it did not suffer any damage in the Battle for Normandy in 1944.

It has been more gently cared for in the last 100 years, with respectful restoration continuing since 1990 and is currently adapting to its latest challenge, the Covid plague. This ISO 8000 image tries to capture the tension between necessary isolation and the need to maintain community, the ecclesia. Click here to view in full definition on my Blog.