St George village, where both the Parc du Jura Vaudois Headquarters and our own organization DiversEarth are located, is a picturesque and lively village throughout the year.
It has a post office, a shop that is always bustling, a library, a school and the well-known fromagerie of Christian Mignot, where the regionally famous cheese, the Vacherin du Mont-d´Or is made.
It is also full of interesting and sometimes alternative people, usually nature-lovers, who retreat to its quiet forest location for peace and inspiration.
The village is one of the gateways to the natural wonders of the park, and within its boundaries there are miles of hiking routes, cross country ski routes and even a couple of downhill ski runs that the village children make the most of whenever the snow allows.
As far back as the year 1153, the village of St George belonged to a Benedictine priory that fell under the purview of the monastery of St-Jean, which used to be situated outside the city walls of Geneva. This monastery no longer exists but the church of St George is a living reminder of those times gone by. During the Reformation period, the church was secularized by the Bernese.
The history of the village, like many others, is tightly bound to the religious beliefs through the ages.
Greeting each church visitor today are priors Bertrand (1211) and Hugues (1219), who stand quietly outside the entrance, carefully carved in wood, sculpted by local modern artisans of the village.
As we read about them we wonder what this place was like 900 years ago and what Bertrand and Hugues must have gone through in their lives at that time.
Passing the priors and entering the church, our eyes are immediately drawn towards the small stained-glass window behind the pulpit and the somber cross.
Brightly coloured lights stream through it, dancing almost with the flickering candle flame that lights up the otherwise dark space.
The Romano-Gothic choir of the church is extremely old and is probably the only remains of the priory. It is here, in the light of the stained-glass window, that we are first drawn. The atmosphere is simple and austere, in the spirit of the reformed traditions, yet it is calming and we are inspired to stay in the building for quite some time.
The rest of the building is neo-Gothic, unusually brightly lit by the light pouring in from the side windows, and on turning away from the pulpit, we are surprised by the grandeur of the organ, standing proudly above the main entrance. It was manufactured by Ayer in Fribourg and is a stately instrument to behold. It is simply magnificent and quite unusual for a small church to have.
We can just imagine the uplifting inspirational sounds it produces during ceremonies.
After a wonderfully peaceful moment in the church of St George, we go back into the spring sunshine, and walk up to the local auberge for a cup of tea.
Credits:
DiversEarth.org & ImageNature.com