At the end of the 17th century, the inhabitants of Thudinie were given the authorisation to erect the Notre-Dame des Carmes Church, or the Sainte Vierge Parish Church. It was requested by the bourgeois of the Ville Haute following clashes with the chapter, which failed to provide the desired service in the Saint Théodard Collegiate Church. The latter was located on Place du Chapitre, just a few metres from there, and was razed to the ground in 1871!
Buried in the heart of Thudinie, its discreet entrance masks its actual size. You need to step right back to the Chant des Oiseaux to fully appreciate its imposing form, which dominates the hanging gardens.
Notre Dame du Carmel (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) is one of various names given to the Virgin Mary.
The hermits who lived on Mount Carmel (in the Holy Land) built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin, which explains the church’s two names.
The Carmelites, an order which developed from this group of hermits, saw in the Blessed Virgin Mary a perfect model for an inner life of prayer and contemplation. The inhabitants of Thudinie who went to this church wished to enrich their inner life and develop a spiritual communication: a beautiful symbol, therefore, of the link between the place and the deed.
Martin Jeanmart.
