Inside the Church of Saint Francis of the Cordeliers
This seems to be a recurring theme for me in my visit to the city of Nancy. There are several historical buildings here but a lot of them are not open to the public, or at least, I couldn’t figure out how to get in. There was the Hôtel de Ville of Nancy, there was the Basilica of Saint Epvre and then there is the Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine. I was taking photos of the small church that is beside the Palace of Dukes of Lorraine, lamenting how unlucky I was to not be able to get in when I already made it all the way out here. There was a barrier for what seems to be some construction work going on outside the Church of Saint Francis of the Cordeliers. I went for a closer look and tried to open the door of the church just to try my luck. Lo and behold, it opened.
Tomb at the Church of Saint Francis of the Cordeliers
This is the first building that I would be able to enter here in the old quarter of Nancy. The name of the church implies that it is dedicated to Saint Francis. The cordeliers part refers to the cord which Franciscans are known for wearing around their waist. This church used to be frequented by the dukes of Lorraine who live next door. Unsurprisingly, there are also big names who dropped by the church since they were already here. The church is a far cry from the showy churches that I have seen else where, this includes the nearby Basilica of Saint Epvre. I don’t know if this was intentional but I would like to think that the Franciscans would tend to keep a church that is more modest compared to other orders. However, it would be difficult to keep it simple with the ducal palace just next door.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/ChurchofSaintFrancisoftheCordeliers.kmz} zoom=19]