Abbey of St. Wandrille

We left Jumieges this morning, and stopped in St. Wandrille a few kilometers away to attend the 9:45 mass at the Abbey church.

I'm not at all a regular churchgoer, but this was probably the most beautiful religious service I have ever experienced. 24 monks performed it, with 14 in white robes leading and the rest in black. It was mostly Gregorian chants, sung and spoken wonderfully, but there were portions in complete silence--especially two close together in the middle, precisely accompanied by a bell from the outside. There were perhaps 20 worshipers, in a long single-nave church entirely in wood--much younger than the abbey.

Afterwards it was misting and raining very lightly. The side of the church (with its timbered structure) is on the right, and part of the Abbey ruins is in the background. They are not nearly as extensive as at Jumieges Jumièges, but since this Abbey is still active the overall experience is more moving.

Afterwards we went on to the Baie de Somme and visited the Parc ornithologique du Marquenterre for some good birding (by then the rain had stopped). We'll be here a couple of more days and I'll report further.