The churches in French villages are particularly peaceful and very often are empty on weekdays.\u00a0 This photo is of l’\u00c9glise Saint Mathieu, the church in the beautifully restored mediaeval village of Oingt, north-west of Lyon.\u00a0 I went there with a couple of friends one day in 2010 and we were the only people around, except for a few staff in the small restaurant and art gallery.<\/p>\n
It reminded me of another day a few years before:\u00a0 I was a student in Lyon, and my brother died but I couldn’t get back to Australia for his funeral.\u00a0 Another student suggested that if I wanted to get away to somewhere peaceful for a day, I should go to the ancient village of P\u00e9rouges, also north of Lyon.\u00a0 I went on a Wednesday and was all alone for about two hours, walking the cobblestone streets and narrow ways, the ruelles, between buildings.\u00a0 But the most precious gift that day was half an hour alone in the church, l’\u00c9glise Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de P\u00e9rouges, sitting in the back row of old wooden pews and looking at the stone floor of the aisle, grooved from centuries of footsteps.\u00a0 It was comforting to know that in the 1400s, people were worshipping and praying to God exactly as I was, looking at the same stone walls and walking down the same aisle.<\/p>\n SECRET PLACE When I’m in France I go into churches and sit by myself and think and pray.\u00a0 They’re all good for this, whether a large cathedral or a small village church, because most of them are open during the week.\u00a0 It’s a privilege I don’t enjoy here in Australia where I live.\u00a0 Inside these … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/worth.id.au\/wish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/oingt-eglise-saint-mathieu.jpg\")
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