ENLUMINURES

An enluminure is a medieval illumination, often done in a style called Medieval Gothic.

Through a mutual acquaintance here in my village I discovered a local artist by the name of Benoît Dupas, who does this as a hobby. In the whole of France ,there are maybe 30 such artists doing this full-time. Benoît trained under one of them in Lyon and does the occasional piece, but he otherwise works as a gardener. Here is his website which includes a video of him at work. I suggest watching the video because it will give you a deep appreciation for the artistry and detail.

I reached out to Benoît and commissioned a piece earlier this year in honor of my mother’s cousin, Lois, who was a Dominican nun and passed away four years ago. Lois had a major and enriching influence on my life, so I wanted to do something special.

St. Dominic lived for a period of nearly eight years in Fanjeaux, just five miles west of my village of Montréal. He founded the first Dominican monastery for women in Prouihle, just this side of Fanjeaux, which remains to this day with 15 nuns in residence.

Dominic came to my village in 1206 on behalf of Pope Innocent III to negotiate a compromise with the Cathars. The Cathars were a controversial group who believed that one doesn’t necessarily need the trappings of organized religion nor even priests. They called themselves “Good men” and tried to live good lives. But the Church wouldn’t have it, for it undermined their authority, structure and power.

Had that negotiation in 1206 succeeded, we wouldn’t have seen the Inquisition that eventually rooted out all the Cathars in the region. It wasn’t a pretty time. Regardless, this region is tied to Dominic and given my own ties via my cousin, I wanted a commemorative piece.

Benoît produced this enluminure modeling it off a stained-glass window in our church. It took hours of painstaking labor utilizing only a quill pen and ink, silver and gold to create on goatskin.

Hidden are my initials on the left and Benoit’s on the right side of the pages of the Bible at the foot of the Virgin. The piece hangs in my living area.

There is a quote at top left that I got from one of my cousin’s friends in her Dominican community in Adrian, Michigan. It reads “Caritatem habete” which means “Charity always.” These were allegedly the last words of St. Dominic on his deathbed.

In July we met to have dinner and were discussing this first piece when it occurred to me that an enluminure as a wedding gift for my friends Gayle & Bernard would be perfect. Both medieval historians, it was novel, fitting and I knew it would be appreciated. More on their wedding and the piece are here.

But even as Benoît was creating the first piece, it occurred to me that a second piece would be appropriate for the entrance to my home replacing a chalkboard from the previous owners. This piece would essentially be a “Welcome” sign to all visitors. He finished it today again after many hours of work in the past six weeks. He won’t tell me how many hours, but he says it is always a labor of love. I am thrilled by its beauty. And the colors are magnificent.

The quote on the enluminure is “Que la paix soit sur cette maison et sur ceux qui franchissent son seuil.’ Translated: “Peace be upon this house and upon those who cross its threshold.”

This time, Benoît humorously memorialized me with my initials (TB) followed by RHM which stand for my street name and village: Rue Haute, Montréal.

His initials are hidden beneath the midsection of the serpent above the “t” in franchissent..

I am very happy with this second piece. It fits the house beautifully and the message is perfect. It is also an honor and a privilege to be able to commission such pieces of beautiful art. We’re already talking about one more piece for my home. This will be different. Once all the other projects are completed, Benoît will paint in the medieval gothic style, two wooden beams in my living area. I can’t wait.