Neither my university training nor my later career have prepared me
to become the webmaster of a site dedicated to the visit of a monument,
hence to history in general and the history of art more specifically
.
As a matter of fact I studied languages at university then I taught
English during my whole career in all kinds of schools and with all
kinds of pupils and students. I was among the first to teach English
to primary school children in the years 1970 - 75, I taught in a few
'lycées' (= grammar schools / high schools), but in several engineering
colleges and took an active part in the training of teachers of English
for science and technology.
However, during all these years, I also developed an interest in history,
and especially in medieval history. Back in the 60s, my M.A. thesis
was already about medieval literature (Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight, a XVth century poem).
I retired in 2002 and started working voluntarily for the Tourist Office
of the city where I have been living for twenty years, namely Vernon,
in Normandy.
Fortunately for me, in addition to Claude Monet's house and gardens
in Giverny, the main Vernon tourist sights are connected with the Middle
Ages, which, as you may have understood, is also one of my main sources
of interest.
Among the various tasks I was asked to perform, I began guiding groups
of visitors around the city: the monuments and the sights of which may
not be exceptional - this is neither Paris nor Versailles !- but are
definitely worth a three or four hour visit.
This is why I had to pay special attention to the local church, read
the literature that had been written about it, examine it in details,
well, do everything that a guide must do if he wants to convey his passion
and interest.
The next step was simply (?) to transform an actual visit into a virtual
one and, thanks to the Internet, provide (virtual) visitors with information,
landmarks and pictures evoking and describing the history, architecture
and artifacts of the church.
Granted, this church is not one of the best-known sights in France,
but I hope I have developed enough interest in virtual visitors for
them to visit Vernon actually, its historic centre and its Collegiate
church.
Version française