The grave is that of Father BreBeuf, who was tortured and killed a couple of miles from here in 1649. He wrote the Huron Indian Carol....
http://www.folkinfo.org/abctest/getpdf.php?songid=638#search=%22Huron%20Indian%20Hymn%22
and a better link.... http://www.adoremus.org/1299-100-Huron.html
The top picture is a fenced off foundation of the original stable. Not much left after...what...nearly 350 years! (click on image to enlarge)
second pic is the obligatory placque which tells you everything you want to know...click on image to enlarge.
Third pic down is the grave. He was moved to that site after the church was built. Well, most of him...the stains in the soil were moved. (eeeuuuwwwh).. as well as the earthly remains of his friend. His bones ended up in Rome, and his skull is down the road in a church which bears his name. The church was built to be vaguely resemble a "longhouse". The similarities are striking!
His whole story is here. Not for the faint of heart... http://www.wf-f.org/Jesuit_Martyrs.html
The botom pic is another random pic of the remains of the fort, with the redactment in the background.
as usual, click on the images to enlarge!
3 comments:
I absolutely LOVE the hymn! I’ve never seen it before! What a beautiful thing to see the name Gitchi Manitou woven into a celebration of the Christ Child. It nearly made me cry.
The Iroquois were vicious people. Anyone who thinks the old Indian ways were all about peace and tranquility should read up on the Iroquois.
Great pictures, too. Nice composition.
The hymn is reasonably common in the shopping malls around here after Novemember 15th. The tune is actually that of a French song, but Pere Bre Beuf wrote they lyrics right here at St. Marie Among the Hurons.
The Iroquois did not invent warfare, but they were very good at it. And they recognized the "Black Robes" as the thin edge of the wedge to a real important lifestyle change...which of course they were! Trouble is...you kill the black robes, there are always lots more waiting to be martyred. Bre Beuf's associate had his fingers cut off and fed to him, yet he came back a couple of years later to preach in the camps in upstate New York, and faced his death by fire with a prayer on his lips.
I hesitate to draw parallels between the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and modern Islamic suicide bombers, but it is true that they commit themselves body and soul to the furtherance of their religion. This is a phenomon which I find troubling, and I HOPE is not common.
I must discuss this with Brenda...she is the one with the degree in Psychology.
interesting stuff. i love history and have enjoyed reading some Canadian history on your blog. thanks for the pics and the lessons!
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