Steeples

July 30

I am thankful for steeples. Steeples are associated with churches and to me there is something sacred about churches. Not in the don't touch and stay away kind of sacred but more in the vein of shelter, a place to go for consolation and renewal. Steeples may have originated as part of castles and related to warfare but now they are mostly affiliated with churches. They symbolically reach to the heavens. There are generally three parts, the belfry, housing bells, the lantern area for lights, and the spire, the pinnacle, which indeed points heavenward. The spire on this church is a cross.

These are the twin steeples of St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, taken through a windor on the second floor of the antigue shop next door. The church was originally built in 1933-4 from bricks made in Breaux Bridge's brick factory. I think the bricks are lovely. The architecture is said to be French Romanesque, a medieva- European-style containing semicircular arches.

steeple

a belfry

a lantern

and a spire

the parts  of what

we call a steeple

reaching skyward

it stands to inspire

the belfry

houses the chimes

which make a joyful sound

of praise to god

the lantern

lights our paths

along the troublesome

and wicked ground

the spire

points the way

heavenward in our journey

and where to direct our voices

when we pray.

© rt tulley