The Fondeville Notebook (5)

In 1839 Father Theodore Combalot visited Betharram on the day of Our Lady’s Nativity Contest (a little competition organised to test the pupils’ knowledge of the Nativity). The illustrious apostolic missionary was invited to have his eloquent talk heard, which was magnificent as always. However, shocked by the state of Betharram’s own hillside « Calvary », he devised a plan to make a work of art in this charming place chosen by Mary. He promised a distinguished and Christian artist, a pupil of Pradier and Ingres.

In the Spring of 1840, Mr Renoir of the Congregation of St Vincent de Paul, appeared in Betharram and set up his workshop. ••

It was after Easter in 1840 that Mr Garicoits became extremely distressed to learn of the gloomy fulfilment of his prediction concerning the unfortunate Eliçabide. His detainment in Bordeaux, being held in custody for the triple murder of his adopted sister and her children, cast terror throughout the community and amongst the children at school. Mr Garicoits dictated a letter for the wretched prisoner to a Community priest. In reading it, Eliçabide exclaimed “a saint has written this and an angel has dictated it”; a month later he wrote to Mr Cassou asking forgiveness of Betharram for all the suffering he had caused. ••

In the month of July 1840, Mr Renoir had finished his first sculpture, the Agony of Our Lord. •• Unfortunately, they used a caster who was not very familiar with this kind of work and he lost the sculpture; but this distressing situation discouraged neither the artist nor the Superior. Moreover, three months later, the sculpture of the Agony of Jesus in the Garden, the start of the Passion of the Saviour, was presented to the public as Betharram’s « Calvary » was not limited to recounting what is known as the Stations of the Cross, which only started at the tribunal of Pilate, but rather the exact whole circumstances of his Passion, beginning at the Garden of Gethsemane.

Three months later, in 1841, the Betrayal of Judas was exhibited and attracted the attention of experts and touched hearts. •• The appearance of Christ in front of Anne was depicted in the third station: the sculpture was placed there around the month of July.

Monsignor Lacroix came to Betharram on 6th September. He came to grant Betharram the constitution of a diocesan Congregation. He drew up the constitution and handed it over to the Community on the 11th or 12th September (1841). He gave the Congregation the name of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, offering them to His Excellency the Bishop for all the duties he wanted to entrust to them in the Diocese, under the direction of the Superior for whom he reserved an appointment.

The Congregation consisted of :

1. Priests and novices, who added to the vow of chastity made in Holy Orders, that of obedience to the Monsignor and to the Superior; that of poverty by subjecting the use of their own goods and of those given to them by way of donation or final will and testament, to the permission of the Superior.
2. Assistant Brothers, also admitted to the Congregation under the same conditions of annual vows after two years of novitiate and perpetual vows after six years of profession. ••

However, Mr Renoir •• continued casting two sculptures until the holidays of 1842: the Scourging and the Crowing of Jesus with the Crown of Thorns. He took his holidays until the month of November, after which he engaged himself again in his work: the Condemnation of Jesus Christ by Pilate and the Meeting of Jesus and his Holy Mother. •• At the end of 1844, Mr Renoir, seeing himself on the brink of finishing the promised Stations of the Cross, prepared himself to furnish the great altar with a beautiful Virgin Mother in solid plaster. Also in the month of April, he put the sculpture of the crucifixion in the place where he was able to keep the beautiful figure of Christ crucified. The facial expressions were appropriate for the characters, the calm yet deep suffering of Mary; he only wished he had embodied it standing.

In the month of May, they blessed on the altar the statue of the Virgin, which was depicted begging to the child Jesus to throw a saving branch to the shepherd being swept away in the waters of the River Gave; The sculptor wanted to consacrate the old tradition in his statue.

However, Mr Renoir, after having placed the eighth station of the Crucifiction on « Calvary », and the beautiful statue of Mary on the great altar, left Betharram. They gave him 3500 francs net, after paying for the expenses to go to the Thermal Baths at Cauteret or Luchon, for travelling, for cloakroom/locker charges and for upkeep. They would certainly have wished to finish the work but the statues of the crosses had to be in cast iron or in molten iron; but the time to have statues in cast iron had not come. Anyway Betharram had exhausted its financial resources. The General Council in the sessions of 1845 wanted to allocate the sum of 1500 francs. The country’s intelligent men had effectively recognised by this allocation of money that Bearn was endowed with a real masterpiece.

Simon Fondeville scj
(1805-1872)
(To be continued)