he stands there in the middle of the ruins within its hallowed walls; the sound of his pipes seemed sad, highlighting the fate of this once mighty structure in williamstown. the notes vibrate and bounce against the stone walls, what is left of the church's former glory, now a monument and a rather sad reminder of what it once was.
piper, play me a sad song
so that i may not forget,
so that the images
may be etched in my brain
until the last of my days.
play your sad notes
until the walls tumble down
and the stones crumble at your feet.
play for its glory
play for its demise
play until the last notes
reverberate into the depth of eternity.
-c.v. summerfield 2021
gheez! what am i so dramatic about?
this was a church that was built in the early 1800's and once was the largest church in the largest parish of the Roman Catholics in the colony. its plan resembles the cruciform design developed by Abbe Pierre Conefroy and popular in Lower Canada from 1812 to 1830.
in 1970, a massive fire destroyed its tower and interior design. the heat was so intense that the iron bell had partially melted in that heat. the townsfolk rallied to have the remains preserved. all that remains are its four walls, a reminder of its founder and its glorious past.
The Ruins is a National Historic site, as declared in 1999. if you are so inclined, check out its history here:
https://saintraphaelsruins.com/about/
i debated about which photo of the piper i would post. but in the end this was the image that touched me and which i would like to share with you all. for another view, see here:
https://365project.org/summerfield/365-still/2021-08-07
tagging this for week 32 of the 52 capture challenge, the theme was to use "rain" as inspiration. this photo was taken in the midst of a rainfall that beset our visit at the ruins. however, the one good thing was that with the structure having gotten wet, the details of the stone walls and the colours became more pronounced which gave depth and drama to the photo. that's my story and i'm sticking to it!
