“An injustice from which we profit is called luck; an injustice from which another takes advantage is called a scandal. ”
-Louis Dumur -
Have you already visited the courthouse?
Going along Saint-Lô street, passing by Joan of Arc street to continue Jews' street, is taking a leap back in time when you are able ignore police officers, lawyers, and surrounding businesses.
The architecture of the monument is impressive, especially on Jews' street, I always compare its Gothic architecture to lace; as if the builders had built it with a crochet hook, the work is meticulous, fine.
But what strucks me above all, "catches me in the gut", are all these bullet holes & other weapons of war that marked the walls of the palace forever. Wounds from the Second World War which show the violence of those dark years in History.
This memory must never disappear; unfortunately the witnesses to these years of war die, people forget & history has often proven that it repeats itself because the human being is so: he has the capacity to quickly forget, to convince yourself that it will not happen again.
What a mistake we make!
When I pass rue Saint-Lô, I never fail to look at these impacts & to think about these men and women who fought, suffered for their freedom & ours today. The world is going so fast that we have a too strong tendency to even forget what happened in the world yesterday ...
It is "fortunate" that the municipalities have not sought to camouflage these impacts because we all have a duty to remember & these impacts are a kind of "booster vaccine" against oblivion.
The current Rouen courthouse has its origins in the 10th century.
It is the old Exchequer of Normandy built between the end of the 15th and the 20th century. Become Parliament of Normandy under the reign of François the 1st in 1515, it shelters the court house since the French Revolution .
The Rouen courthouse was classified as a historic monument, first in 1840 at the request of Prosper Mérimée who wanted to classify it state monuments in need of renovation. Thereafter, it was also classified in 1977 and registered in 1979.
The history of the Rouen courthouse is rich. Here are some interesting articles & not tedious
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" Courthouse " article by Corinne Poirier in the Rouen1900 blog
" Palais de Justice " in the Normandie Héritage blog
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" The Exchequer of Normandy " instituted in the 10th century by Rollon, first Duke of Normandy in the blog "Les50enligne"
" The Jewish monument " of the courthouse, also called "Sublime house" in the blog of the same name
From the outside...
"Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a will for benevolence, trust, justice." -Baruch Spinoza/ Philosopher (1632/1677)-
"There are two kinds of justice: you have the lawyer who knows the law well, and the lawyer who knows the judge well!" Coluche (1944 /1986)-
"The justice of intelligence is wisdom. The wise man is not the one who knows many things, but the one who sees their righteous measure." -Platon-
"Only at the cost of ardent patience can we conquer the splendid city that will give light, justice and dignity to all men. Thus poetry will not have sung in vain." -Arthur Rimbaud (1854/ 1891)-
"An injustice committed somewhere is a threat to justice throughout the world." -Martin Luther King (1929/1968)-
"If justice exists, its preferred place is not on Earth." -Pierre Josset (1968)-
"Make good for good and justice for evil." -Confucius-
"An act of justice and gentleness often has more power over the hearts of men than violence and barbarism." -Machiavel/ Philosopher (1469/ 1527)-
"It is frightening to think that this thing that one has in oneself, judgment, is not justice. Judgment is relative. Justice is the absolute. Think about the difference between a judge and fair." -Victor Hugo (1802 /1885)-
The Public Lobby ...
"I really don't know what strength justice can have, it has never struck me." -Jean-Louis-Auguste Commerson/ The little jester encyclopedia (1860)-
"Justice is dishonoured when one does not add to it the gentleness, the respects, the condescension." -Fenelon / Thoughts Collected (1720)-
"There are no double standards; above all, there is fairness and justice." -Samuel Ferdinand-Lop / The New Thoughts and Maximus (1970)-
"Justice without force is a derision worse than force without justice. What's the point of being right if the one who's wrong kills me?" -Jean Dutourd/ The School of Jocrisses (1970)-
"Justice is humble, ungrateful and a bitter virtue, virtue without glory as without voluptuousness, and yet, let it run out, all is missing." -Victor Cherbuliez / The Beast (1887)-
"Take away respect for justice and good faith: No government is sustainable." -Seneca / Thyestes (Around 60 AD) -
"Judge with gentleness to hear only justice." -Anne Barratin / Of all parishes (1913)-
"Iniquity seeks the crossroads, justice always follows the great road." -Alfred Auguste Pilavoine / Thoughts, Mixes and Poems (1845)-
"Justice is the bread of the people, it is always hungry for it." -François-René de Chateaubriand / Thoughts, reflections and maxims (1848)-
From afar...
"Justice would be a wonderful thing if it weren't for the men."
-The Berlin trilogy: the pale crystal summer represents a German requiem - Philip Kerr -
Since 2012, I have passed dozens of times in front of this commemorative plaque and my emotion is still as keen.
I think of those people who fought and were sacrificed in the name of our freedom. I often wonder what I would have done in this dark period of History, would I have been courageous? a Righteous one, a resistant one, would I have hidden myself? what would I have done?
I do not know .
Collaborate? surely not, it's not in my family d.n.a; perhaps would I have been a coward, even if this idea revolts me but rather die than collaborate with the enemy. In fact, I could ask myself a thousand times that question, I would never have an answer. This is why these courageous people will have my eternal respect, who at the risk of their lives have resisted, saved people inevitably destined for concentration camps, fought so that we are not ashamed to say to ourselves one day proud to be French.
To these people, I have only one word to say: Thank you.
Florentine Sueur was incarcerated in the basement of the Rouen courthouse from March 10 to April 29, 1944.
Red Week refers to a period of bombardment, from 30 May 1944 to 5 June 1944, during which Allied aircraft bombed the city of Rouen several times a day, with the aim of destroying the bridges and hindering the delivery of German reinforcements during what would become the Battle of Normandy. The courthouse was mainly bombed during the bombing of 19 April 1944.
Having left track of the bombings is a duty of remembrance
"The Germans had stolen freedom and equality from us, they had not been able to ban the Brotherhood" -Lucie Aubrac-
"I didn't know it was so easy to do your duty when you're in danger" -Jean Moulin-
The link below traces in pictures the destruction of Rouen and its heritage
The Gargoyles
The Gargoyles of the Palais de Justice in Rouen are less frightening than those of Notre Dame de Paris, which were the first I saw closely. I found them really ugly, terrifying. How can we want to be Catholic with such horrors above our heads ?!
Always reluctant in the face of these unfriendly little things, I was surprised to discover the Gargoyles of the courthouse with a more lovable appearance, even if still not very pretty but I suppose that it was necessary to keep the symbolism so that they always look a little scary. The symbols always.
I recommend you to read the following article by clicking here if the legends and realities on the Gargoyles interest you ... they impress me much less since ... or almost!
Between shadow and light, the Gargoyles impose themselves...
The Gargoyles have temperament ...
This one yawns
This one smiles... Yes, It does!
and she laughs ... so what!
and the latter impresses me ...
With lace ...
Always admiring this work made of stone lace, I go there discovering each time new wonderful details, chiseled and I remain impressed by the art of its builders who could not afford the methods of today.
View of the Palace of Justice arriving from the Palace Area
"Composing lace is composing poetry in linen thread." -The Delights of Alexandria (2009) / Jean Anglade
"A straw house where you laugh is better than a palace where you cry." -Chinese proverb -
Clicking on the door will take you to other doors ....
In front ...
The facade of the Palais de Justice with the clock tower, located on Rue Jeanne d'Arc, is made in neo-Gothic style ( So said of an architectural and artistic current of return to the Gothic style, of national and romantic character, appeared in the 18th century. in England, towards the end of this century and the beginning of the 19th century. on the continent. (In France, this form of eclecticism, first pictorial and decorative [troubadour style], has known a particular favor in architecture, in connection with the rationalist movement . ))
"Extreme justice is extreme injustice." -Terence-
"Immanent justice is rarely imminent." -Pierre Dac-