Cathedral St. Jean

The most amazing sight we can see on our walk down the hill from our apartment is the grandiose Cathedral St. Jean. It is the focal point of the Vieux Lyon area, with a cobblestone plaza in front of it. Within the plaza there is a fountain of what I think is supposed to be the baptism of John the Baptist. The inside of the church is completely amazing. If I knew more about ancient architecture I would be better equipped to write this blog, but alas, I do not, so this blog may be somewhat lacking in painting the best picture of the church. From what I've learned, it took centuries to complete, finally finished in the fifteenth century (or so sources say- I ,however, had to position my camera to miss the scaffolding at the top corner of the cathedral, so apparently work is not complete). The cathedral is like many medieval churches in the sense that it has many side areas and chapels along both sides of the church. These nooks have huge beautiful paintings of religious events and saints, as well as various statues and places to light candles for offerings. Also like most older churches, the front makes a cross, with two main side sections. Both sections contain pipe organs, though one looks much older than the other. Also, one of the side sections contains one of St. Jean's more notable features, the fourteenth century astronomical clock. I'm not exactly sure what it does (besides chimes), but it looks pretty cool. My personal favorite part of St. Jean is the stained glass windows that adorn the church. There is a large circular one on the front (which actually makes the cathedral somewhat resemble the Notre Dame Cathedral), and various stained glass windows running along the sides and top of the church.
Roy and I celebrated Mass at the cathedral last Sunday. Though it was (so far) the most beautiful church I had ever attended Mass in....I have absolutely no clue what was said the entire time. (I am currently only on lesson number three in my French lessons). Luckily, being Catholic means the ceremony isn't changed up too often so I at least knew which part of the Mass we were in. The main differences (aside from it being in all French) were the kneelers and the music. Kneeling in this church actually is a sacrifice, as the kneelers (if even present in your pew) were wooden instead of padded. Oddly enough, much of the congregation just skipped the kneeling altogether. The music was absolutely amazing!!! Angelic really, just to be cliche'. It was a children's choir made up of what must have been 6-9 year olds. This wasn't your typical children's choir that meets one practice a year and sings at a special monthly or annual children's Mass (though those are great too). These were practiced young voices all on pitch and in harmony accompanied by a pipe organ. It was my favorite thing about going to Mass there. I feel so lucky to be in such close quarters to such an amazing place. Getting to visit such old and majestic churches is one of the best experiences of this trip.
P.S. King Henry IV was married here!