After saying Goodbye to Thea and Henk we thought we would turn back on ourselves and drive North to Saint-Jean-du-Gard, in the area of the Cevennes. Although France has been a fiercely Roman Catholic Country there are many reminders in different parts of the country of the struggles that Protestants faced before, during, and after the Reformation. And, after all, France gave Jean Calvin to the world. The area round Saint-Jean-du-Gard still professes to be largely protestant.
We paid a return visit, after many years, to the nearby Museum of the Desert at Mas-Soubeyran. The museum exhibits movingly the hard struggles of the Protestants of the region, against the persecution which raged against them. The people worshiped in the open air, hiding in the mountains, sometimes living in caves. A communion token from Perth, Scotland and another from Cullibacky, N. Ireland, can be seen on display. Many early bibles, psalm-books, and other Christian literature can be seen, and paintings have been made to depict the scenes of the times. Each year, on the first Sunday of September thousands of Protestants from near and far gather at this spot to attend an open-air meeting.
One painting depicts the 10 year war which took place in the mountains of the Cevennes, where the Protestant protesters wore white shirts over their ordinary clothes to distinguish friend from foe. This gave them the name Camisards. The museum has been made in the house occupied by one of the main leaders of the Camisards.
We paid a return visit, after many years, to the nearby Museum of the Desert at Mas-Soubeyran. The museum exhibits movingly the hard struggles of the Protestants of the region, against the persecution which raged against them. The people worshiped in the open air, hiding in the mountains, sometimes living in caves. A communion token from Perth, Scotland and another from Cullibacky, N. Ireland, can be seen on display. Many early bibles, psalm-books, and other Christian literature can be seen, and paintings have been made to depict the scenes of the times. Each year, on the first Sunday of September thousands of Protestants from near and far gather at this spot to attend an open-air meeting.
The photo below gives an idea of the old buildings of Mas-Soubeyran which are in close proximity to each other
One painting depicts the 10 year war which took place in the mountains of the Cevennes, where the Protestant protesters wore white shirts over their ordinary clothes to distinguish friend from foe. This gave them the name Camisards. The museum has been made in the house occupied by one of the main leaders of the Camisards.
This is a Free Evangelical Church in Saint-Jean-Du-Gard where we worshipped on the Lord's Day. The tower in the picture is not part of their building. The upper flat to the right is where they hold their services, and the Pastor lives in the downstairs flat.
New friends took us to see the well-attended French Reformed Church nearby before kindly taking us to where they were staying for lunch.
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