Sometimes you can find beauty in the most unexpected places.
Entering the interior of Paris’ oldest church, Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Pres, once so mighty but now eclipsed by Notre Dame,
I was struck by the beauty of a humble set of chairs next to some ancient chipped pillars.
The light from the stained glass window behind them
Transformed the chairs into miracles of colour and form
And the floor, worn by centuries of visitors,
Became a dazzling thing of rainbow beauty.
(I have to say that out of all my Paris photos, these are some of my favourites.)
“The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.”
G. K. Chesterton
For more everyday miracles, please visit: Our World.
Lady Fi 
I LOVE these photos! So serene and the colors are subdued. Very nicely done.
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Lovely and thanks for sharing such a beautiful and historic place.
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What fantastic captures!! Miracles they are indeed! Such a beautiful, historic place indeed! Thank you for sharing and what a great start for my day!!!
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WOW!! These are gorgeous. I love your talent.
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Love these. I have a “thing” for stained glass.
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When least expected we’re given gifts. I am looking at these photos as I start a rainy/snowy day. Your images provide a rainbow for me to remember.
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Love the “rainbow” from the stained glass ~ beautiful photos!
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Fantastic! We can see beauty everywhere if only we can open our eyes to the unexpected..
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so beautiful ..and it reminds me of my friend Lauren’s church in Norwalk, CT!
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Wow. Stunning!
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Truly lovely. 🙂
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Oh I so agree…the reflection of colors breathtaking…you gave me visual joy as usual!
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Great photos! I love the soft colours on the floor!
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The colors on the floor are amazing! What a beautiful place.
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that truly is awesome!
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Exquisite! Such a wonderful scene to photograph and you captured it perfectly. I’m really loving all your photos from Paris!
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Yes, neatly arranged, I liked the pattern and the lighting.
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The colored reflections from the glass splashed on the chairs and floor are simply delightful!
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You have an amazing eye! Those pictures speak volumes indeed.
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Hello Lady Fi!
Great pictures. Colored lights playing on the floor is very beautiful.
Regards
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Stained glass always looks its best with the sun shining through it, casting glories over the space inside.
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It’s indeed a visual treat 🙂 beautifully taken. Light through the stained glass makes it look more devine.
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Absolutely lovely with the colors of the window filtering in on the chairs…I’ve seen many shots of the inside of this church, but none so simple and simply elegant…
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Brilliant shots! Great job on the chairs and light (reflections).
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The stained glass reflected on the floor is very beautiful.
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There’s nothing quite like the light coming through stained glass windows. Beautiful! 🙂
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I use your own words… everyday miracles! Stunning photos! I love all your Paris’ shots!
Have a nice week:)
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Stunning! This place & all it’s architectural wonder are amazing – but that light really creates something spectacular!
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These photos are stunning. I especially like the rainbows on the floor.
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How lovely!
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Hur snyggt som helst, awsome Picture ….
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Oh that is a miracle! I couldn’t stop looking at the floor even in the pictures. It must have been terribly hard to tear yourself away from the real thing.
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Again, your eye for beauty is extraordinary. Thank you for sharing!
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It’s those unexpected small things that sometimes have the most impact! Just lovely!
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A beautiful mosaic of reflected jewelled colours surrounding aged timber chairs … simple yet profound.
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These photos are amazing, truly magical. What a great talent bringing the magic alive like this 🙂
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I love how the colours on the floor seem to have intensified from the colours in the window! Magical!!
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Truly awesome captures!
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Such simple beauty!
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Wow, I like the colorful patterns and reflections on the floor!
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Oh wow, lovely captures of the rainbows and reflections. Wonderful captures! Have a happy week!
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I love the idea of rainbows being hidden everywhere, like little pockets of happiness.
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Miracles happen, I agree:)
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floors pf heaven awash in colored light!
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > ❤
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Magic, pure magic!
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You have a wonderful eye. You see the beauty that many would miss. Thank you for sharing these lovely images.
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you’ve a great eye. such beautiful rainbows.
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Ancient always has its own charm!
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How equisite. Thank you for bringing this miracle of light to us.
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They are magnificent photos. I love old churches as they convey such a sense of calm and reflection. The muted colours from the windows spread across the chairs and floor are too beautiful for words.
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Such good captures- I love going to small ,old churches. Even in big cities everything suddenly becomes quiet and peaceful.Thanks!
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What a moment of beauty! You’ve captured it so wonderfully. Beauty can be so fleeting and that’s precisely what makes it so precious. I bet it changed in a moment. Wonderful images, Fiona.
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Great shots.
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Really lovely, better than carpet.
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Awesome… words struggle to praise the beauty, enhanced through colors reflection!
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Amazing!
Like a kaleidoscope.
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indeed beautiful; bathed in a rainbow of stained-glass projections
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Very interesting how you’ve managed to capture the light from the windows on the chairs!
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Wonderful images from inside the church. The chairs look great.
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Wow, what serendipity!
These are beautiful!
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Brilliant captures!!
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I love the rainbow splashes across the chairs and floor. Great pictures!
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Very nice light – I used to see a similar effect on York Minster. I used to walk though it everyday on the way home from a teaching practice!
Stewart M – Melbourne
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Surprises surprises in places least you expect them!! those are neat antique chairs!! Thanks for dropping by my blog btw!
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Your eye went straight to the spirit of the place and your camera captured it. Perfectly wonderful!
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Beautiful! It is wonderful seeing Paris through your eyes! Thanks I probably will never get there:)
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Truly beautiful!!! And so simple!!! I love the whole idea that such a small thing is one of your best memories from such a huge city!!!
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These are beautiful. I love the contrast between the rainbow colours and the cool calmness of the church environment
Mollyxxx
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There’s no way that images like these could ever be eclipsed Fiona. So much history within those walls, living in a young country like Australia, scenes like these take my breath away.
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Amazing place, fantastic photos:) Greetings
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Beautiful captures!
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“The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.” And I’m grateful to those who find the miracles (which I might miss) and share them with us like you, ladyfi.
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that’s beautiful. With only the chairs I could think of a party. But maybe it is. A party of dancing light 🙂
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Oh My! Your photos are truely wonderful.
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Very beautiful pictures !
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Beautiful tones and composition, very nice photo
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Helt underbar plats, som jag aldrig besökt. Ljuset är sååå vackert. Gillar kontrasten med de enkla stolarna och den magnifika inredningen. Jag kan verkligen förstå att du älskar den här platsen. Ska komma ihåg den nästa gång jag kommer dit.
Önskar dig en fortsatt skön vecka!
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I like the rhythm of the chair legs. Well done!
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Lady, les photos sont magnifiques!!
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And I can certainly see why these photos of chairs in a church are some of your favourites, Fiona. Beauty in the simplest of things can be breath-taking. And these are that.
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yes the magical colors of the stainglass is reflecting on the worn floors making a beautiful symbolic photo and on the chairs where so many have sat. I really like the tiny little glimpses of your Paris trip much better than any tourist book photo, thanks lovely lady of the north. (wow you have so many comments on this one)
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Lovely pictures! That last one is spectacular.
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There is life and a long story in this post. Thank you!
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Fabulous post in such a wonderful old church.. Love the colors on the chairs and floor by the stained glass window… Awesome.
Hugs,
Betsy
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So glad you were there at the perfect time! If you had been 2 hours earlier or 2 later these shots would not have happened!
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beautiful reflections on the floor. 🙂
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Just plain magic. Love the chairs but the play of the light painting the floor a thousand colours is just so beautiful
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You are so right! Beautiful can be found in the most unexpected places. It’s everywhere around us…
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What a cool scene, indeed. It’s very nice space.
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Stunning photographs. It is through the ordinary that the extraordinary shines
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Where others just saw stained glass, you saw jewels.
Jen
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Nice place. The light is very beautiful.
An ideal place to pray.
Chesterton was right.
· hugs
· CristalRasgado · & · LaMiradaAusente ·
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Wonderful rainbows of colour.
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Love the natural play of colors and light, so surreal and rainbow like 🙂
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Fantastic perspective and beautiful warm tones. Great shots!
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Very nice, a simple church with very nice beauty to it
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Congrats on being selected Post of the Week!
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here to return the compliment … congrats on a well deserved POTW
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schön wie das Licht vom Fenster so durch den Raum tanzt 😀
LgGvom katerchen
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There is nothing more enticing than history, that is the beauty of Europe, ever city, small or large, have centuries of it on its back, if not millennia.;)
Lovely captures of the unseen.;)
xoxo
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Came back to say congrats on the POTW!!
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Thank you.
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Perfect color temperature.
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You were lucky to be there at that right moment…lovely colors.
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Beautiful!
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