#La Chapelle Royale

[wolfephoto]

The Royal Chapel - Palace of Versailles, France by John Wolfe Via Flickr: La Chapelle Royale, Château de Versailles, France

[wgm-beautiful-world]

The Royal Chapel of Versailles

[clamarcap]

Meine Freude

Johann Crüger (9 aprile 1598 - 1662): Jesu, meine Freude, inno su testo di Johann Franck (pubblicato nella 5ª edizione dell’innario protestante Praxis pietatis melica, 1653). Cappella Vocale Berlin, dir. Carsten Albrecht. Jesu, meine Freude, Meines Herzens Weide, Jesu, meine Zier, Ach wie lang, ach lange Ist dem Herzen bange Und verlangt nach dir! Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam, Außer dir soll mir…

[dijonbeaune]

Le grand 8 de l'Unesco en Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Le grand 8 de l’Unesco en Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics that are romantic comedies or have a rom com vibe to them as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

—Louis/Harry—

🧡 You Drive Me Crazy (but it feels alright) by MrsStylinson

(T, 102k, movie au) Bridget Jones' Diary AU.“Harry is not short for Harold,” he corrects, his voice as thick as molasses. He lowers his eyes to Louis’ sequined lapels, rubbing one between two fingers. “Is this small or extra small? It looks lovely.”

🧡 Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by @1diamondinthesun

(NR, 84k, movie au) the American high school AU loosely inspired by She's All That.

🧡 Gemma's Dad (Could Use A Guy Like Me) by @lululawrence

(NR, 82k, age difference) Louis wasn't planning on getting home and learning that Gemma's dad had gotten the house in the divorce and was dealing with things by focusing on work, the house, and his newly planted garden. It becomes obvious early on that Harry is a bit lost and Gemma is worried about him. To help both of them, Louis is more than happy to help Harry find himself again.

🧡 Let Our Hearts Collide by @crinkle-eyed-boo

(M, 76k, movie au) When Harry, a lonely transit worker, saves the life of the handsome commuter he's been secretly pining for, an innocent mistake results in Liam Payne's family believing that Harry is engaged to their son. A While You Were Sleeping AU

🧡 i must admit i thought i'd like to make you mine by @disgruntledkittenface

(M, 50k, girl direction) Blindsided and scrambling to save face, Louis lets herself get talked into a fake relationship with her new friend Harry. 

🧡 From Dust to Lust by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

(E, 45k, Australia) the one where Louis and Harry are fly-in-fly-out mine workers, coincidences are totally a thing, karaoke is an underrated form of foreplay, and the universe most definitely works in mysterious ways.

🧡 Love Isn't Always on Time by @softfonds

(E, 45k, movie au) Falling in love with your best friend sounds like a good idea, until he comes back from a work trip engaged to another man. A Made of Honor AU.

🧡 Until That Day by @kingsofeverything

(E, 44k, movie au) Hoping to witness Harry leave another groom at the altar, Louis heads to Holmes Chapel, where nothing goes as planned, and he finds himself falling for the serial heartbreaker. A Runaway Bride movie AU

🧡my only working remedy by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 42k, famous/not famous) His Team steps it up a notch when Harry is in between movies and they do a promo by launching the contest “Win a Date with Harry Styles!” Everything goes wrong for Harry's Team when the winner is a guy, Louis Tomlinson. 

🧡 crown me with your heart (your love is king) by @perfectdagger

(G, 41k, movie au) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Wedding au in which Harry is the Crown Prince of the small island of Eroda and Louis’ uncle is trying to take the throne from him, with a slight a/b/o twist and some more.

🧡 Set the Sky Alight, Oh Holy Night by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 33k, roommates) One house, five almost-strangers (plus Niall), six new beginnings.

🧡 From the Start by @allwaswell16

(E, 32k, fake relationship) Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.

🧡 Making Waves by @haztobegood

(E, 30k, movie au) the one where Louis can’t remember, Harry needs money, and Niall has a plan. An Overboard AU.

🧡 Supposed to Be by kikikryslee / @flamboyantommo

(M, 26k, movie au) the Geek Charming AU where Harry's a film geek, Louis' a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

🧡 Retiens la nuit by TeamLouis / @teamlouis2023

(E, 26k, movie au) Everything is too much for Harry. His exboyfriend, his job, his whole life actually. Flying across the globe to find a quiet place for Christmas holidays is exactly what he needs. The Holiday AU

🧡 And I’d Marry You Harry (Because You Forced Me) by @2tiedships2

(NR, 24k, movie au) The Proposal AU featuring Harry as Sandra Bullock, Louis as Ryan Reynolds, and all the fun a fake relationship and forced engagement can bring.

🧡 in the end I started thinking about the beginning by @infinitelymint

(E, 21k, wedding planner) When Louis returned from Malaysia to attend his best mate Zayn's wedding, he hadn't expected their wedding planner to be Harry Styles.

🧡 i'd never sing of love if it does not exist by wildestdreams / @lavendrhaze

(M, 20k, movie au) “This…,” Louis said. “Use each other for sex…at all hours of the day and nothing else.” or a No Strings Attached AU

🧡 Your secret's safe with me by lightswoodmagic / @lightwoodsmagic

(M, 7k, royal) when Louis' favourite singer comes back and announces he's performing again, him and the rest of his group chat decide to go. When Haz, the man Louis' fallen in love with without meeting him, says that he can't, Louis tries his best to convince him with a drunken phone call, hearing his voice for the first time. 

—Rare Pairs—

🧡 Eight Days by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 22k, Liam/Louis) Louis and Liam got hitched in Vegas, completely forgot about it for more than a decade, and it comes back to bite them. Sort of.

🧡 I Got the Recipe (And It's Called Black Magic) by @fallinglikethis

(T, 10k, Liam/Louis) Louis needs to believe in love again, and with a little help from Almost-Liam Payne, Harry makes it happen.

[steph-photographie]

Photo originale par Steph-Photo

La Chapelle royale de Dreux où reposent les membres de la famille d'Orléans.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

For Medieval craftsmen, work was an act of piety, sanctified in their own eyes as in the eyes of their God. For such labourers, end and means are one. The spiritual wholeness of faith is translated into the visual wholeness and purity of their craft.

- Roger Scruton

The Sainte-Chapelle is the finest royal chapel to be built in France and features a truly exceptional collection of stained glass windows. It was built in the mid 13th century by Louis IX, at the heart of the royal residence, the Palais de la Cité, to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. Adorned with a unique collection of fifteen glass panels and a rose window forming a veritable wall of light, the Sainte-Chapelle gem of Rayonnant Gothic architecture.

[francepittoresque]

2 février 1789 : mort d’Armand-Louis Couperin, organiste et compositeur ➽ https://bit.ly/Armand-Louis-Couperin Petit-cousin du « grand » Couperin, Armand-Louis, qui porta loin le talent de l’exécution sur l’orgue, au point d’officier en des lieux prestigieux de la capitale, se voyant également confier par Louis XVI la charge de premier organiste de la Chapelle royale et étant ordinairement choisi pour la réception des orgues nouvelles, nous laissa notamment des sonates pour le clavecin, ainsi que plusieurs motets et morceaux d’église

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Over the past 5 months I have been writing and saving LONG rants about the now infamous Captain Save a Hoe, soon to be markled, Mr Thirsty Tyler Perry.

Leilani of Barbados did an excellent job mocking him for his absurd megflix statements about his godfather role to a Lili white Invisibet.

Unfortunately Leilani did not inform her viewers that Mr Perry also labeled the British royals as Meghan & Harry's "ABUSERS." Perry stated that Meghan COULD have said more damaging things about the BRF but she didn't because she's too "Klassy." What a SIMP🧢 and a deceived Captain Save a Hoe

Calling EVIL good and Good evil is an unfortunate sign of the times.¹

Perry haughtily admits that he possesses "THE corner on God" and the Church of England is beneath him. Meaning he's right and the Church of England is weird and wrong.

Based on what Harry & Meghan told Perry about christenings by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Perry views those traditions as beneath him. He is too holy to set foot in some ancient building, with weird people who may or may not be praying to HIS prosperity god.²

The irony is that just a few years ago, Tyler was angling to get an invitation to sit with his bff NOprah in The Queen of England's "stinky" chapel, Saint James' Palace (which Meghan was unqualified for as a divorcee) to witness a white woman (w/a half black mother) marry a white man.

Meghan Markle's latest mark, Captain Save Hoe (Thirsty Tyler), truly is dim. The two (2) people Perry thinks God's Holy Spirit allows him to see clearly were walking around his property talking to DEAD ⚰ people. Necromamcy is forbidden for the Christian.³

Thirsty Tyler can 1st remove that jumbo jet plane size BEAM in his own eye before shooting off at the mouth about people he's never taken the time to study or visit but chose to haughtily blast them via megflix about a speck of dirt.⁴

The least Thirsty Tyler could do is respect that the people he has misjudged are members of Harry's family. Much to the chagrin of Thirsty Tyler, Gail & NOprah's racist worldview, the BRF is a force for good around the world.

Thirsty Tyler is Captain Save a Hoe who recently rescued 2 infamous z-list fraudsters w/suspicious ties to major political backers: Jussie Smollett & Meghan Markle.

Was Thirsty Tyler told to become Harry's new handler? Meghan Markle will never accept that none of this is about her. She was a mere pawn used to gain control of Harry's mind and now It sucks to be her.⁵

"Paging Amber Heard, Thirsty Tyler has a mansion for you!!"

First (1st) LIE: Tyler Perry told (pre-megflix via "black" media) his reasons for writing meghan a thirsty pre-wedding letter: "they were giving her hell because of her race."

Second (2nd) LIE Tyler Perry told about his decision to write meghan a thirsty pre-wedding letter: "I saw what her father did in the press..."

Timeline of Thirsty Tyler & The Meghan's Transactional Relationship:

1-Spring 2018-TP, as per NOprah, sent mm a letter before the wedding. mm wrote him back without enclosing an invitation to the wedding.

2-Fall 2019 Thirsty Tyler sent a tweet of public support when no one asked if mm was ok.

3-Fall 2019 Thirsty Tyler spoke to a media source about mm not being ok. "I felt that"

4-Spring 2020 mm telephoned Thirsty Tyler (known for sending his aircraft and cash to rescue celebrities) CRYING bc the border was closing and she feared for her SECURITY.

5-Spring 2020 Thirsty Tyler flew Dorito to Vancouver Island and relocated the The Meghan's and all their belongings, pets etc into one of his LA homes.

6-Summer 2020 The Meghan's lived in TP's mansion for 3+ mo (according to Harry). Harry got a taste of "lifestyles of the rich and famous."

7-Spring 2021 The Meghan's told NOprah about their savior Thirsty Tyler. Harry, (the Strut teenager from Bat out of Hell who never grows up) was visibly pleased with himself because "my family didn't even know where I lived!!" Idiot.

8-Thirsty Tyler shared The Stench via socials

9-Meghan showed the Cut her grand piano Thirsty Tyler purchased for their 16 bathrooms

10-The Meghan's filmed themselves speaking to Thirsty Tyler (phone) on set at Ysidro Ranch

11-Thirsty Tyler hurled unsubstantiated accusations at Mr Markle & the BRF (megflix)

12-Thirsty Tyler revealed for megflix that he is godfather to Lili White Invisibet.

13-March 2023 Thirsty Tyler allegedly flew a choir of black singers to Montecito for a lavish backyard gathering in honor of princess Lili White Invisibet Diana.

14-Thirsty Tyler & Sunshine Sucks released a propaganda filled press release to "black" media:

Streamed in January 2023, biracial comedian Axe laughs at Harry, Meghan & Captain Save a Hoe, Thirsty Tyler Perry. He uses salty language so be prepared to enter your YouTube password to watch my 60 second hilarious clips or watch on Rumble, Axe's website etc.

¹Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

²False Preacher & False gospels

³Necromamcy Forbidden “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 18:9-12ESV//CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Necromancynewadvent.org› The Mosaic Law forbids necromancy (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6), declares that to seek the truth from the dead is abhorred by God (Deuteronomy 18:11, 12), and even makes it punishable by death (Leviticus 20:27; cf. 1 Samuel 28:9).

⁴You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye (Matthew 7:5)

⁵They dont want Meghan, they want Harry

[duxvonzazer]

🔴 Berzé-le-Châtel, un castrum du Xème siècle en Bourgogne

Constitué d’un donjon primitif en bois et d’une chapelle carolingienne en pierre, le castrum de Berzé est attesté dans un cartulaire de Cluny datant de l’année 991, en faisant la plus ancienne baronnie du Mâconnais.

Intégré au réseau de défense de l’abbaye de Cluny dès le Xème siècle, le château prend une importance considérable au XIIIème siècle. En 1229, le sire Hugues de Berzé bénéficie d’un prêt de l’abbaye lui permettant de transformer le château en place forte. Berzé devient ainsi en l’espace de quelques années la plus grande forteresse militaire de Bourgogne du Sud, principal château de défense de l’abbaye. Cluny est alors à son apogée et accueille près de mille moines à l’année.

Au cours de la guerre de Cent ans, le château devient un enjeu disputé et convoité entre les Armagnacs et les Bourguignons. Donné aux Bourguignons en 1417, il est pris par les Armagnacs en 1420 lors de leur attaque du Mâconnais. Après quatre ans d’occupation, il est finalement repris par Philippe le Bon grâce à la présence d’un tunnel souterrain reliant le château à une tour de garde située sur une colline voisine. En 1471, il est à nouveau la cible d’une attaque royale, celle de Louis XI, cette fois infructueuse.

Durant la renaissance, le rôle militaire de la forteresse devient plus secondaire, cette dernière se trouvant pourtant au cœur du conflit déchirant alors le royaume : la guerre des ligues. Catholiques et protestants s’affrontent à travers des escarmouches mettant le pays à feu et à sang. Le duc de Nevers à la tête de la ligue catholique porte un assaut considérable en 1591. Forte de 1100 hommes, 100 chevaux et d’une série de canons portatifs, l’armée du duc vient à bout des défenses de la forteresse qui cède après deux mois de siège.

Après l’attaque de la ligue et l’expulsion de ses propriétaires, le château est laissé à l’abandon pendant près de deux siècles. Lieu de pâturage pour le bétail durant la révolution française, il est malgré quelques dégradations relativement épargné par les vagues de destructions révolutionnaires. Déclaré tout comme l’abbaye de Cluny bien national, il entre dans la propriété de l’Etat mais n’est pas réinvesti. Le château subit alors les affres du temps…

En 1817, les descendants des anciens propriétaires rachètent le château, celui-ci redevenant alors un bien privé. Ayant subi de nombreuses dégradations de par son inoccupation prolongée, le château nécessite alors de nombreuses restaurations : charpentes, toitures et planchers doivent être rénovés afin d’assurer la sécurité du lieu. La famille Thy de Milly agrandit peu à peu les fenêtres, rénove le logis seigneurial et entretient les jardins, permettant bien des années plus tard de l’ouvrir au public afin de partager et donner à voir ce monument remarquable du patrimoine.

[scotianostra]

On 8th July 1647 Frances Stuart, Scottish aristocrat and mistress of Charles II, was born.

I always debate on whether events like this are truly relevant to be included in a post about Scotland, but I think the interest in the Stuarts in general is enough for this lady called “La Belle Stuart” to put a wee post together about, plus an oddity, you might notice in the second photo gives it a bit of added interest.

Frances Teresa Stuart was born in France the daughter of Walter Stuart (a distant relative of the royal house of Stuart) and his wife Sophia. She was brought up in France at the time the Stuarts were in exile on the continent. After the Restoration she returned with the Royal Court with her mother and was appointed maid of honour to Catherine of Braganza, queen of Charles II.

Samuel Pepys, the diarist, recorded that she was the greatest beauty he had ever seen. Frances had numerous suitors, eventually she eloped with Charles Stuart, a fourth cousin of the king and the 4th Duke of Richmond and 6th Duke of Lennox in March 1667. She fell out of favour at court for marrying without royal consent.

About 1669 she became seriously ill with smallpox and the king reportedly rushed to her bedside and forgave her for marrying. Upon her recovery, she was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber for the Queen.

The king appointed the duke ambassador to Denmark, but Frances stayed in England, managing the estate and business affairs. The duke died in December 1672 and as he had no heir his estates reverted to the Crown. Charles II granted Frances a 1000 pound pension per annum for life. In 1702 Frances arranged to purchase the estate of Lethington. She died that same year leaving her estate to her nephew Lord Blantyre who renamed Lethington Lennoxlove in her honour.

For me the most interesting wee snippets are that Frances had an wax effigy of herself made, which stood by the graveside until the early 19th century when, with several other wax figures, it was moved to the upper Islip chapel in Westminster Abbey, by her side is an African Grey parrot, who died a few days after her, it was her “companion” for 40 years, I have visions of it sitting on her should saying “pieces of eight!” Anyway the bird was stuffed and is perched beside her in the chapel, it is perhaps the world's oldest stuffed bird and looks quite the thing sitting next to her effigy don’t you think?

[headfullofpresley]

Elvis Presley Tag Game

Hi babies! I know there's already a few of these floating around, but I decided to make one as well because I love doing and reading these (so definitely tag me in yours~). Also, ignore me naming 300 songs for each question, I couldn't pick one 💀.

Questions are under the cut. 💗

When was the first time you heard of Elvis?

He's always been in my life because his music has always been played in my family (especially during Christmas lol), so I guess I kinda grew up with him.

What's your favorite era?

I love him in all era's tbh, but the 60s have a special place in my heart.

Favorite song(s) from the '50s?

Harbor Lights, How Do You Think I Feel, Anyplace Is Paradise, Don't Be Cruel, Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, Ain't That Loving You Baby, I Was The One, One-Sided Love Affair.

Favorite song(s) from the '60s?

Dirty, Dirty Feeling, Make Me Know It, Such A Night, Surrender, Reconsider Baby, Starting Today, (Such An) Easy Question, Witchcraft, Little Sister, Kiss Me Quick, True Love Travels On a Gravel Road, Suspicious Minds, Summer Kisses, Winter Tears.

Favorite song(s) from the '70s?

The Wonder of You, Patch It Up, We Can Make the Morning, Always on My Mind, If You Talk in Your Sleep, Moody Blue, Make The World Go Away, Snowbird, Never Been to Spain, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Are You Sincere, This is Our Dance, Walk A Mile in My Shoes. I CAN'T JUST PICK ONE LMAO

All time favorite song(s) that you simply cannot skip?

How Do You Think I Feel, Starting Today, Moody Blue, I'll Never Fall in Love Again and Make The World Go Away.

Least favorite song?

Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy and Milkcow Blues Boogie. don't hate me 👀

Favorite gospel song(s)?

Swing Down Sweet Chariot, How Great Thou Art, Crying in The Chapel, Bosom of Abraham and Lead Me, Guide Me.

Favorite country song(s)?

Snowbird, Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On, Funny How Time Slips Away, The Fool, Flaming Star, U.S. Male.

Favorite non-English song?

We'll Be Together (most of it is english but it still counts bc i love this song ☻), Wooden Heart and Santa Lucia.

A song(s) that makes you feel nostalgic?

Jailhouse Rock, Can't Help Falling in Love, Heartbreak Hotel, A Little Less Conversation, Are You Lonesome Tonight and Return to Sender - they remind me of my childhood sm.

A song(s) that makes you cry?

There's Always Me, I Need Somebody to Lean On and Unchained Melody.

A song(s) that makes you wanna dance?

Polk Salad Annie, The Love Machine, Vino, Dinero Y Amor, Bossa Nova Baby, Rock-A-Hula Baby, Return to Sender, Slicin' Sand, Happy Ending, Blue River, A Little Less Conversation.

Favorite song Elvis has covered?

SWEEEEET CAROLINE! 💃🏼

What's a modern song you wish you could hear Elvis cover?

Paper Doll by John Mayer - i want it, i need it! *slams table*. also, Roller Coaster by Danny Vera.

Do you prefer vinyl or CD?

I love both and I love the nostalgic feel of a vinyl, but when it comes to sound, I prefer CDs.

Favorite album?

From Elvis in Memphis, Love Letters from Elvis, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue.

Favorite movie soundtrack?

Blue Hawaii, King Creole, It Happened At The World's Fair and Fun in Acapulco.

Favorite live performance?

The Ed Sullivan performances, my god. But I'm also obsessed with the show from August 11, 1970 for That's The Way It Is.

A live performance you wish you were present at?

My ass would be front row at every show, idc.

Favorite jumpsuit(s)?

Adonis, Black Conquistador (IM OBSESSED I TELL YOU; OBSESSED!), Conchos, Royal Blue Fireworks, American Eagle, Pharao and Silver Phoenix. His two piece fits were also very *chef's kiss*.

LIKE HELLO????? TALENTED, BRILLIANT, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, SHOW STOPPING, SPECTACULAR, NEVER THE SAME, TOTALLY UNIQUE, COMPLETELY NOT EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE!!!!

Favorite movie(s)?

Blue Hawaii, Fun in Acapulco, Flaming Star and It Happened at The World's Fair. Also Viva Las Vegas and King Creole and Loving You and I'm going to shut up now.

Least favorite movie(s)?

Harum Scarum, Stay Away Joe, Kissin' Cousins and The Trouble with Girls.

Favorite co-star?

Ann-Margret and Shelley Fabares.

Favorite documentary?

Elvis by the Presleys, That's The Way It Is, Elvis on Tour and Elvis: Return to Tupelo.

Favorite interview?

This one right here. I can listen to this man talk for hours and fell asleep to this many many times lol.

Favorite car?

The Purple Cadillac Eldorado is sexy af. And also the Stutz Blackhawk... loooord.. 🥵

Do you collect merch? If so, what's the one thing you hold most dear to your heart?

I spend too much money on this man (woops), but I'm obsessed with Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll which contains Alfred Wertheimer's amazing work. Andddd a collector's item of the Blue Hawaii soundtrack. 💙

Do you think you'll be a fan of Elvis for the rest of your life?

Yes yes yes. He's such a big and important part of my life, I can't imagine him not being in it anymore.

tagging some of my lovely mutuals: @woundmetender @eliseinmemphis @foreverdolly @septembersghost @mrpresley @marriedtopresley @elvispresleywife @ab4eva @elvisabutler @infatuatedharleys @steph-speaks @mooodyblue - if i missed anyone, sorry bbies!

[sassyfrassboss]

Im beginning to believe that Lili's christening announcement is their biggest temper tantrum so far. Another Anon said -

"ooo the fact that lili wasn't christened in that gown is a sore spot for her. I think that why she announced the titles because she wanted it to be approved by Charles and William. "

Remember that sometime last year summer they demanded that the Honiton lace gown, found and water from the river Jordan be sent over to LA. This request was refused by the BRF. Then soon afterwards Augie and Lucas were both cristened together at Windsor chapel with the queen present.

In the documentary, Tyler Perry idiotically declared that he won't go to the UK for this and wouldn't even agree to be the goddather if anyone from the BRF was present. Lol. Can you imagine how silly that is?!! It doesn't even matter if Meghan bitched about the BRF to him, but considering they are still Harry's family he should not have said that. It's so tacky!!

So, considering all that, it's pretty clear that Meghan wanted to show that her daughter is still a royal and gets special treatment because she is so special that Tyler Perry flew private jet, and flew in a special choir for her Christening. That's why the announcement was in People Mag. Because the royal perks - her birthright- was denied to her by Harry's evil family. So poor Meghan had to get her friends, her Hollywood friend, to treat her baby right.

My guess is she was pissed and and was denied. The kids weren't expected to be at Coronation and so mghan orchestrated this PR blitz to shove her special kids in all of our faces. Charles reacted with "whatever, I don't care. If you think having their names on the website matters that much then there you have it".

I'm not excusing Charles' behavior but I'm saying he is sneaky and very sharp when it comes to respect and his position. There will be smack down so public that the public will.rejoice again. It seems that Charles and Harry are caught up in a weird toxic co-dependeant cycle. One step forward, one step back.

I'm not excusing Charles' behavior but I'm saying he is sneaky and very sharp when it comes to respect and his position.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. If Charles was super sharp when it comes to respect and his position, he would have cut ties all together with Harry long before this. Not exactly sure what he has even done to remotely qualify as "sharp" or "sneaky" at this point.

Harry called Camilla a villain, said Charles was cold and unfeeling and that he is traumatized by his upbringing. Harry attacked the monarchy, the Commonwealth, William, Catherine, and even William's children aka Charles's grandchildren.

Now Lili and Archie have their titles and H&M will be attending the coronation. Nothing about this tells me Charles is sneaky or sharp because he hasn't done anything sneaky. If anything is a few steps behind and being beaten left and right by his nitwit of a son and C-List actress of a DIL.

If he actually had respect for himself, the monarchy, and his eldest son and family he would issue a statement along the lines of:

"While Archie and Lili are styled Prince and Princess, it has been decided that they will not use the titles until their 18th birthday. Also, as Harry and Meghan continue to build their lives in California, it has been decided it is best that they remain in California to focus on their family and therefore will not be attending the coronation or TTC."

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Iconic Mont Saint-Michel Abbey celebrates 1,000 years

By Solène Tadié

13 June 2023

It was exactly a millennium ago that the first stone of the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel in French Normandy was laid.

The monument that the poet Victor Hugo called the “Khéops of the West” has since become one of the highest symbols of French Catholic identity and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world, with more than 3 million visitors a year.

This important anniversary will give rise to a number of celebrations that will continue through the fall of 2023.

Standing on relatively inhospitable terrain, enthroned on a rocky islet less than a kilometer in diameter, surrounded by a vast sandy plain subject to the vagaries of the tides, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has stood the test of time, offering itself as a spectacle for dozens of generations to see.

Indeed, the history of this place of prayer and pilgrimage was as precarious and tumultuous as its surroundings.

While the construction of the present abbey church dates back to 1023, a first church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel is said to have been built as early as 708 on the mount, then known as Mont-Tombe.

According to “Revelation,” the oldest text reporting the context of the abbey’s construction (written around the beginning of the 11th century), St. Aubert, then-bishop of Avranches, was visited three times in a dream by the archangel, who instructed him to erect a sanctuary in his honor on the summit of the site “so that he whose venerable commemoration was celebrated at Mont Gargan [the first great shrine dedicated to the Leader of the Celest Army, in the Puglia region of Italy] might be celebrated with no less fervor in the middle of the sea.”

St. Aubert undertook the building of a first church with the capacity of about a hundred people, consecrated in October 709 and given the name Mont-Saint-Michel-au-péril-de-la-Mer.

The prelate installed 12 canons there, responsible for praying the Divine Office and welcoming local pilgrims.

The canons were replaced in the 10th century by Benedictine monks at the behest of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, who had little taste for the canons’ opulent lifestyle.

In 1023, the order undertook the construction of the abbey church we know today, based on three rock-cut crypts and the former chapel.

This ambitious project marked a decisive step in the international outreach of the site, where miracles abounded as the flow of pilgrims from all over Christendom expanded.

“This edifice is like Noah’s ark laid over the crypts,” said François Saint-James, a guide and lecturer at Mont Saint-Michel, in an interview with Le Devoir newspaper, underlining the architectural prowess required for this medieval project.

“It was a time when France was covered with a white cloak of churches, as a monk from Cluny once wrote. You have to imagine the gigantic scale of the work.

The granite blocks were cut on the Chausey islands, 34 kilometers from here.

Caen stone, a soft, light stone that’s easy to carve, was used. ... When, in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, the Romanesque choir collapsed, it was rebuilt in flamboyant Gothic style.”

While the abbey’s architectural evolution continued uninterrupted until the 19th century, one of its highest points was the construction of “La Merveille” (The Wonder) in the 13th century, a jewel of Norman Gothic art.

It consists of two buildings on three levels, supported by high buttresses, with a cloister and refectory, 80 meters above sea level, beneath which were built an almshouse, a storeroom, and guest rooms.

The fame of the shrine started to decline in the 17th century, when part of the abbey was turned into a prison by the royal power.

Seized by central government during the revolution, it became a detention center for priests deemed hostile to the Jacobin terror.

In the 19th century, the site, listed as a historic monument in 1874, was gradually returned to monastic life and its original vocation as a sanctuary.

The abbey’s distinctive silhouette was further enhanced by a neo-Gothic spire in 1897, topped by a gilded statue of the archangel.

To mark its 1,000th anniversary, a special tribute is being paid to the abbey that many have dubbed the “Wonder of the West” with the exhibition “La Demeure de l’Archange” (The Archangel’s Abode), retracing its glorious and tumultuous history through some 30 masterpieces, until November 5.

Many of these items, which include sculptures, scale models, statues, and silverware, will be on display to visitors to the abbey for the first time.

Another highlight of the many celebrations taking place over the summer and part of the autumn will be the “Millennium Solstice,” a never-before-seen light show projected onto Mont Saint-Michel from various spots in the bay on the evening of June 23.

The beauty of this sacred site, trodden by millions of pilgrims over the centuries, has been celebrated and immortalized in the writings of many great men of letters over the last few centuries, from Gustave Flaubert to Théophile Gautier and Victor Hugo.

In particular, it inspired the novel “Les Merveilles du Mont Saint-Michel” (1879) by the prolific writer Paul Féval.

He had already paid tribute to the monument a few years earlier, in “La Fée des grèves,” with these lines often quoted by admirers of the famous Mont:

“Twilight broke. Mont-Saint-Michel was the first to emerge from the shadows, offering the golden wings of its archangel to the reflections of the dawning dawn; then the sides of Normandy and Brittany lit up in turn.

Then again, a sort of light steam seemed to rise from the receding sea, and all was veiled except for the statue of Saint Michael, which dominated this wide ocean of mist.”

[steph-photographie]

Photo originale par Steph-Photo

Chapelle royale de Dreux. L'accès à la nécropole par les marches sur le côté de la Chapelle.

[lizzybeth1986]

Batalla del Vino

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Kiara x Hana

Rating: PG

Summary: It's the Haro Wine Festival! Kiara and Hana spend a day in La Rioja, Spain, getting into a messy wine fight of epic proportions!

Word Count: 1, 505 words

Tagging @choicesficwriterscreations for FoTW, @kiaratheronappreciationweek and @sazanes for KTAW Day 1: Wine, and @choices-february2023 for February, Day 14.

Monthly Challenge Day 14: 14. Valentine's Day | Chocolates | I Honestly Love You (Olivia Newton John)

A/N: Kiara proposes to Hana 6 months after Liam and Esther's wedding. This trip takes place shortly after she proposes to Hana.

Céleste is Kiara's cousin from her maternal side. She is the eldest daughter of Joëlle's sister Jeanette, and is 2 years Kiara's senior. They are best friends.

The sun is shining bright on Spain this June morning - on the trees, on the pristine white stone of the San Felices de Bilibio Chapel, on the purple banner placed by the Síndico Regidor, on the highest rock of the city. Kiara smirks at the shadows on the dull tar road. By evening this path will be so drenched in wine you may just about see the reflection of the setting sun on it.

Hana grabs her hand with the freedom of a woman who doesn't care who sees. Kiara can see the glow of sunlight again, this time in the tiny rainbow splinters on the diamonds of Hana's engagement ring, as she brushes a stray strand away from her face.

She's wearing an old white t-shirt of Kiara's, one she'd thrown at Hana in horror when she'd found out that she wasn't exactly allowed to wear t-shirts or jeans until she'd come to Cordonia. Kiara makes a mental note of taking Hana shopping before they leave Spain.

Mon Dieu, how long has this woman been starved of casual fashion? Or casual anything?

In the distance, a rocket is fired, marking the beginnings of the battle that is to erupt here.

"This one's going to get ruined by the end of the day, won't it...?" Hana says ruefully, nervously picking at the edges of the shirt as the crowd begins to disperse from the chapel.

The last time Kiara wore this particular one, it hung a little looser. She'd lost weight back then and had rarely worn it since, so seeing its contours mould themselves more fully to Hana's curves...seeing fabric that once belonged to her cling even more lovingly to Hana's skin than to her own, sends a kind of secret thrill through her. It makes her want to leave the festival, grab Hana by the hand and -

Kiara stifles a shiver, lifting the two large plastic containers they'd brought just to distract her very fertile mind. "Of course it will! That's the whole point."

Hana touches the faded old wrap on Kiara's head lightly. "But I'm glad you put this on. Hair like yours is far too beautiful to get ruined by alcohol."

"Mmm," Kiara says, smiling slightly. "I learn from my mistakes."

The first time she'd come to La Rioja, it had been with Céleste, her cousin from Loire. Kiara was nineteen and never liked being told what to do. So when Céleste and Tatie Jeanette begged her to cover her hair before setting out to the festival, she'd "hmph"ed and pretended she wanted to get her curls drenched in wine.

"Tiens, tiens!" Céleste had said, leaning against the door of Kiara's hotel bedroom three days later. Crossing her arms and smirking as she struggled with her hairbrush, her older cousin looked quite a bit like the cat that got the cream. "Qu'est-ce que je t'avais dit?"

Kiara had raised her chin in defiance, ignoring the tangled mess that were her curls now. She was never one to back down, not even in front of her favourite cousin.

"Hmph," she'd said, her voice squeaking slightly from the strain of lying to Céleste, "I like it this way."

Céleste's yell of laughter could be heard all the way from the top floor.

The onslaught of alcohol starts small, as it usually does. With tiny squirts from brightly-coloured, toy guns, spraying dots and Rorschach blots over the white canvas of their shirts. With a hose that doesn't spare anyone in the crowd. With random droplets raining down on them from directions they can no longer keep track of. All until a stranger laughingly tips over a whole carton of box wine over Hana's head, and Hana - never one to be bested - unleashes a cloudburst of Castelserraillan's very best Nebbiolo Red over the culprit's shirt and shorts, her voice rising in a wild, delighted guffaw as she wipes the wine from her eyes.

"Well!" Hana says, turning to an equally winesoaked Kiara. "I believe that's a very good way of getting the world to sample our 1980 collection."

Kiara splashes some more wine on Hana and a passing stranger for emphasis. "Funny enough, Maman had said quite the same thing five years ago."

She'd expected Maman to be more disappointed about her use of produce from their lovingly-cultivated grapes, but somehow the only gripe she seemed to have was about the packaging.

"Plastic!!!" she'd hissed all along the roads to Haro. "Zut alors, we're parading around award-winning wine...in plastic!"

"Yes, Maman, because glass bottles are so safe to carry in such a huge crowd," Kiara replied with a snort. "Besides, you never heard Tatie Jeanette complaining, and you two practically grew up around vineyards!"

Maman rolled her eyes. Secretly, she was enjoying the experience - never ducking from the sprays of wine that came their way, and giving back as good as she got so that only half an hour into the festival they were almost out of wine to spill. But she was never going to admit that to her daughter in words - just in very pursed, privately amused smiles and a ravenous appetite for a lunch of snails and pork chops later.

"Well," Maman said, her chin high in the air, her voice comically airy, "no one here can complain we didn't bathe them in some quality wine, can they, doudou!"

Hana's hair whips around her face now in rats' tails as she laughs, every inch of her stained a bright mauve. Kiara fights the impulse to kiss her right then and there in front of everyone, including a group of older women gossiping in rapid Spanish. No one but her will know what it took Hana to get to this point. She'd heard enough - not from Hana. From Maxwell, from Esther, from Liam - about the jitters her wonderful bride would face everytime her friends tried to involve her in a food fight. How hesitant she'd been the first time they got her to try a Sloppy Joe. How she'd shifted from foot to foot when Maxwell had suggested a food fight at her lovingly-planned chocolate fondue party, the night of Madeleine's awful bachelorette. How even now she tries to eat barbequed pork delicately, with the tips of her fingers.

Every time she engaged in these activities, her face was a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions - pleasure at the Dionysian decadence of it all, guilt at stepping so far out of who she was supposed to be. When Hana had picked so nervously at her (their?) shirt today, Kiara was almost afraid she'd regret this experience, regret coming to Spain with her.

To the world her beloved's giggles may sound jarring coming from the mouth of one so delicate - but to Kiara it is the first fierce burst of sunlight, spilling in rainbow splinters, emerging after several days of rain.

It is half-past-ten by the time the crowd wraps up the festivities, heading down glistening winesoaked tar roads towards the buses that will take them back to their hotels. They've got enough time to bathe, change and take a small siesta before they head out for lunch, a game of wine-pong and an afternoon of bullfights.

Kiara pulls Hana behind a tree before they reach the bus, swallowing Hana's gasp in a brief but still searing kiss. "I've been wanting to do that all morning," she whispers as she samples with her tongue every cheap wine Hana had unknowingly tasted these few hours. Their tongues and teeth clash as if gearing for battle. The very best kind of battle.

"Will there be enough time for...more than a shower and dressing up, do you think?" Hana laughs, a little breathless, their hips almost glued together. Kiara has no idea how her fiancée's eyes can both glow and darken at the same time, but in this moment they do.

She savours the taste of that kiss as she teasingly pretends to think. Like wine and mint and fulfillment. It must be the world's best flavour.

"Mm," she says, smiling wickedly, "but most times you like it when I make you wait, cherie!"

Hana throws her head back and laughs. Before Kiara lets her go, she peppers her jaw with a line of desperate kisses. "I can assure you, qīn’ài de, this isn't one of them!"

Hana's arms are wound around Kiara's waist as they head back to the bus, and Kiara's hand floats lightly over Hana's spine. They can barely take their eyes off of each other, and almost bump into three people along the way.

But no matter. As the two women walk down a wet shining road, all they know is that this wait for what the rest of the day has in store has in store for them will be absolutely worth it.

They can already tell. This wait will be particularly...delicious.

--

The Haro Wine Festival is celebrated every year from the 28th to 30th of June. It began historically with territorial disputes over the region of Haro at La Rioja, Spain, where purple banners would establish ownership of the region...but over the years and centuries it evolved into the fun wine battles we know of today. Learn more about the Haro Wine Festival here and you can see a video of it here.

Batalla del Vino - Spanish for "Battle of Wine", which is what the Haro Wine Festival is often called. It takes place on 29th June, St Peter's Day.

Síndico Regidor - In this context, the city mayor.

Tatie - Auntie

Tiens, Tiens - can mean different things, including "well, well" or "oh my!". Usually meant to denote surprise but in this context Céleste uses it sarcastically.

Qu'est-ce que je t'avais dit? - Didn't I tell you so?

Doudou - Endearment that can mean "stuffed toy" or "blankie".

Qīn’ài de - Mandarin Chinese for "darling" or "dearest". Gender-neutral endearment used both by unmarried and married couples.

A/N2: Since Hana and Kiara are newly engaged in this fic, I really did want to explore them as this giddy couple, while still exploring Kiara's family and Hana getting used to enjoying mess 😄