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world youth day 2005 |
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Paris, Cologne and Heidelberg ...
Two of Paris' most favorite sites for pilgrims are Notre Dame and he Basilica of the "Sacré Coeur". Notre Dame's has been making history for a thousand years and longer. In 1239, St. Louis brought the Crown of Thorns to the Cathedral. In 1430, Henri VI of England was crowned there. Mary Stuart, Queen of France was married to François II and crowned at Notre Dame. Napoleon crowned first himself, then Josephine at the chapel.
At 110 ft tall, Notre Dame was the first French cathedral built on a truly monumental scale. Its compact, cruciform plan, flying buttresses and vastly enlarged windows, made it the prototype for future French cathedrals. The Basilique du Sacré Coeur is where the first martyrs of Paris met their death, and the site of a famous abbey of Benedictine nuns, visited by Saint Bernard, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, Berulle, Olier, Saint Theresa, Father de Foucauld, the poet Max Jacob, the painter Utrillo, Pius XII, and John XXIII.
The interior of the church contains one of the world's largest mosaics, and depicts Christ with outstretched arms. The bell in the tower is 19 tons, which makes it one of the heaviest in the world. Another pilgrimage site that we will visit is Chartres Cathedral. The town of Chartres has been a center for deep reverence of the Virgin throughout the middle ages since it possessed a statue of Mary, reportedly carved by St. Luke, as well as the "sacred Tunic," said to have been worn by the Virgin at the time of the birth of Christ.
Heidelberg's beauty attracted poets including Arnim, Brentano, Hölderlin, Eichendorff and Goethe and composers such as Schumann, C.M. von Weber, and Brahms. Royalty lived there including Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 - 1410), Prince Elector Philipp (1476 - 1508), Ottheinrich (1556 - 1559) Friedrich IV (1583 - 1610). Friedrich V (1613 - 1619), and Prince Elector Karl Ludwig (1649 - 1680).
According to ancient legend a disciple of Saint Peter was the first Bishop of Cologne, but the first historically authenticated bishop was Saint Maternus, who was present in 314 at the Synod of Arles. The Archbishopric of Cologne was founded in 785 soon become one of the most influential cities in the Holy Roman Empire. Cologne, the site of World Youth Day 2005, was the fourth city after Jerusalem, Byzantium and Rome to bear the designation "Sancta" (holy) in the city name: "Holy Cologne, faithful daughter of the Roman church by the grace of God."
Cologne is known as the "German Rome," and has been annually visited by pilgrims, especially after Rainald of Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne (1159-67), brought the remains of the Three Magi from Milan. Cologne's mighty cathedral, "the Dom" was erected as a burial church in their honor. The whole edifice covers an area of about 7370 square yards; it has a nave 445 feet long, five aisles, and a transept 282 feet wide with three aisles; the height of the nave is about 202 feet, that of the two towers, 515 feet.
In addition to the world famous Dom, twelve large Roman collegiate and monastery churches, stand as a major architectural testimony to the "spiritual" influence on this area. These three cities of Paris, Cologne and Heidelberg and areas around them stand as foundation stones of the faith and truth for youth and elder alike. |
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Dinner at hotel or local restaurant (included)
The Paris, Cologne, and Heidelberg churches, cathedrals and monuments have historical significance in the faith and devotion of Catholicism in Western Europe. 
In this century, the Te Deum Mass celebrated the liberation of Paris there in 1944. In 1970, the Requiem Mass of General de Gaulle is held and in 1980, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in front of the Cathedral. 
The prayer of perpetual worship is the most important part of the life at the Basilica of the "Sacré Coeur". Chaplains and the Benedictine nuns of the Sacred Heart welcome pilgrims, the faithful and all who seek God. 
Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition, combine to make it a masterpiece. 
Germany's Heidelberg roots in the Catholic Church run deep. The name Heidelberg is derived from the German word Heiligenberg that means "Holy Mount". Lorsch Monastery was erected in the year 764. In 863 and 1130, the monasteries of St. Michael and Neuberg Monastery were founded respectively. The Bishop of Worms founded Schoenau Monastery therein 1142. From these religious roots at the foot of a Worms castle, Heidelberg developed and prospered. 
Throughout the summer, the courtyard of the Heidelberg Castle is the site of open-air musicals, operas and theatre performances and classical concerts such as the famous Heidelberg City Orchestra's "Castle Serenades." 
Learning has always been zealously cultivated in the cathedral school, in the collegiate chapters, and the cloisters; famous philosophers taught in Cologne. Rupert of Deutz, Caesarius of Heisterbach, Duns Scotus, and Blessed Albertus Magnus were among them. 
Among the numerous works of art at the Cathedral, the most famous are the picture (Dombild) painted by Stephen Lochner about 1450, the triptych over the high altar, the 96 choir seats of the sanctuary, and the shrine in which are kept the relics of the Three Kings in the treasury of the sacristy.