Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Last Shrine

This shrine, with its frame of bougainvillea, is my favourite. And the saddest is the one with the graffiti.

Last day today - thanks to everyone who came on the walk via this blog and thanks to Don and Pete (the BOOTboys) who were there in reality. The Monastery is Don's favourite place in Menton, which is hardly surprising as he has a glorious view of it from his balcony. In fact the first photo of this series was taken from there - thanks Don and Margaret.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Passion Flower

The Passion Flower, here covering a wire fence, is a most appropriate vine to pass on the way to or from the Monastery. There are around 500 varieties of passion flower but this known as the Common Passion Flower or Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora Caerulea).

The "Passion" in "passion flower" does not refer to sex and love, however, but to the passion of Jesus in Christian theology. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion:

* The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance.
* The tendrils represent the whips used in the flagellation of Christ.
* The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles (less St. Peter the denier and Judas Iscariot the betrayer).
* The flower's radial filaments, which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower, represent the crown of thorns.
* The chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle represents a hammer or the Holy Grail
* The 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the 5 anthers below them the 5 wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).
* The blue and white colors of many species' flowers represent Heaven and Purity.

The photographs of this walk were taken at the end of May, by the way, in case you wonder why we see such a flower at this time of the year.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Ramp

This is presumably a temporary structure to get building materials up or down? It looks a bit rickety, doesn't it?

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Gum Trees

We're walking down to Menton from the Monastery. On the left is a wild area of land covered in eucalpts and pines. Whenever I see a ecalyptus tree I think of my years in Tasmania and Cairns - the gum trees of Australia are so beautiful.

We are about half way down the Chemin du Rosaire at this point and looking out over the centre of Menton.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - Stained Glass

A last look around the Monastery before we walk back down - yes, we walked up so we've got to walk down - and, anyway, there are one or two more good things to see.

Today - a stained glass window in the chapel - a sign outside the monastery shop and below, a view of the monastery from below - you can see the stained glass windows of the chapel on the left.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Bas-Reliefs

Along the walls of the crypt we saw yesterday are ten bas-reliefs (you see one here) by Alain Bousquet. They represent the life of Mary.

Note: I've updated yesterday's commentary on the history of this crypt.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - Inside the Chapel

The smaller photo on the left shows the main chapel. I have a feeling it might not be used much as you'll see a pile of stuff piled up at the back on the right hand side.

Below the chapel is a simply beautiful room - main photo and below. It's the ancient restored crypt - a room for contemplation and prayer. You'll see modern work displayed in this room.

This crypt was originally the oratory of the Capucins of Genoa (1867-1887) and was restored in 1967 by the Capucins of Lyon and then in 2000 by the Soeurs Annonciade.

The gilded relief of the Annonciation was given to the Monastery in 1641 by Jérome de Monléon. Bas-reliefs that line the walls and we'll see one in detail tomorrow.

The history of l'Annonciade goes back centuries but the more recent history shows it was sold to a union of apostolic sisters in 2000. There are now 6 nuns in residence. Since then much renovation has taken place, including this renovated crypt, the chapel and the inauguration of a gallery.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the View

We are standing on the Esplanade of the Monastery and looking at the view. In the main photo, we look towards Roquebrune-cap-Martin - that's Cap Martin you see jutting out to sea. Monaco is beyond.

The smaller photograph shows a part of the Esplanade that has fallen away and is dangerous - the wall has gone and a good part of the land itself.

The photo below is looking straight ahead to the centre of Menton. The Old Town and its beautiful steeples are out of shot to the left of the photo.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Mountains

I promised a view of the sea today but changed my mind (!) and thought it would be nice to see the surroundings of the monastery. You can see how idyllic it is - mountains, a vineyard below and beyond that, Menton and the Mediterranean.

Tomorrow - we turn around and see the sea.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Chapel

Our first view of the Monastery with the entrance to the chapel facing us.

We've climbed 225 metres to the top of this hill known as Le Berceau. It's dominated by the monastery which was founded in the XIV century but in the XI century it was the site of a small fortified city called Puypin (Podium Pinum, the hill of the pines).

There are several stories of how the name Menton came about. One is that the inheritor of Puypin was Seigneur Othon V who build a castle on the neighbouring hill, but lower hill and called it Mont Othon, which gives the contraction Menton.

This place is peaceful, the view stunning and we can only imagine how it was in the eleventh century, looking down and seeing Menton slowly grow around it.

Subsequently the old castle of Puypin was abandoned and tomorrow we'll learn more about the monastery that, three centuries later, took its place.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Esplanade

We've walked up the steps that are by the iron cross you see in the background and are on the Esplanade of the Monastery. Tomorrow we'll turn and face the other way and see the Monastery itself.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Wine Press

An old wine press outside the gate of the vineyard.

"I can no more think of my own life without thinking of wine and wines and where they grew for me and why I drank them when I did and why I picked the grapes and where I opened the oldest procurable bottles, and all that, than I can remember living before I breathed."

~M. F. K. Fisher

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Vineyard

As we saw yesterday, there is a small vineyard below the monastery.

The Confrérie de l'Etiquette de Menton has its own blog. Click to take a look at this year's vendange.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - Almost There

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved

The smaller photo is a slightly different view of the final part of the walk. You saw it the other day - HERE.

We turn the bend at the top - et voila! - we see the Monastery and below it the vines.

Tomorrow, we'll look at the vineyard.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Abandoned Shrine

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved

Most of the shrines were restored during the 20th century... but obviously some weren't.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Road Sweeper

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved

The older ladies who live on this Chemin du Rosaire are pretty tough. Remember the old lady who fed the cats a couple of days ago?

Now meet the lady who sweeps the road. She's sweeping the steps below the shrine you see on the right, which is doubtless near the entrance to her house.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Sea and the Sky

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

You can see the walk was worth it. The sea is in sight and on the left we pass another shrine. Not far now...

“There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul”

~ Victor Hugo

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Cats' Shrine

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

At first glance it appears this old lady, this exceedingly old lady, is praying at the shrine or tending flowers, albeit false ones. Not so.

There is a large hole in the corner of the wire netting and she is filling bowls with food and water for the wild cats in this area.

On the wall above her head, two of them are waiting...

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - the Shrines

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Today we'll take a look inside three of the shrines. With iron bars and wire netting protecting the frescoes, they are not easy to photograph.

There are 15 shrines, all numbered. I assumed they represent the Stations of the Cross but was corrected by the nun I met in the monastery who told me they are the Stations of the Rosary.

The shrines were restored in the last century - the work done by well known artists of the region.

Walk to the Monastery of l'Annonciade - Onwards & Upwards

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

We keep on walking. As you see, it's a fair old hike ever upwards but we stop and look at each of the shrines (there's one on the right).

'Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize.'

~ Elizabeth Harrison