The unique adornment of a French Gothic chapel impels us to desire that the Angels intensify their interaction with us, and allow us to hear, in some way, the magnificent melodies they perform in Heaven.
Notre-Dame-du-Chevet Chapel, in St. Julian Cathedral, Le Mans (France)
In the austere Gothic cathedral of St. Julian in Le Mans, a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady draws the attention of visitors. More than its soaring walls, almost completely covered with stained-glass windows, we are attracted by the fresco painting in orange and red tones that decorates the ceiling of the precinct, helping to create a vibrant ambience in its interior.
The artist who painted these vaults in the mid-14th century chose to cover them with bold colours, reserving soft pastel green tones to highlight some of the ribs. And, hovering in the midst of this polychromatic display, he added the figures of forty-seven Angels, arranged in various postures and clothed in rose, blue, white, green or gold tunics.
But these are not ordinary Angels… they are musicians! And if we stop to contemplate them, we will find some holding scores and singing, while others, carrying different instruments, perform celestial melodies.
Nothing could be more natural. If singing or playing instruments marks moments of joy during our earthly life, music could not be lacking in the bliss of Beatific Vision, and this is certainly what the medieval artist wished to portray.
So, there is music in Heaven, and we have no doubt that the Angels are in charge of producing it. But what does it sound like? Can anyone describe it?
St. John Bosco, who visited the heavenly Paradise during his famous “dreams”, tried to covey to us some notion of these melodies, albeit with great difficulty. In one of his evening conversations, he tells how, while he was in the outer gardens of Heaven, a sweet and pleasant harmony reached his ears:
in the Cathedral of St. Julian, Le Mans (France)
“A hundred thousand instruments were heard, each with its own unique tone, and every possible sound filled the air with sonorous waves. To these were joined the choirs of singers. Then I saw a multitude of people in those gardens who rejoiced, full of joy and gladness. […] Each voice, each note, had the effect of a thousand instruments together, each one of them distinct. The different degrees of the harmonic scale were heard all at once, from the lowest to the highest that can be imagined, but all in perfect accord.”1
Now, how can there be complete harmony among so many unique and therefore different elements?
The question makes sense to those who live in this valley of tears. In Heaven, however, music is not merely the fruit of artistic creativity or of natural gifts. It flows from the lights and virtues that shine in a special way in each of the Blessed. This is why an almost infinite diversity of sounds can be blended into a single symphony endowed with perfect harmony!
As the main objective of the Blessed is the glorification of the Almighty, the charity that consumes them is reflected in their melodies. Through timbres of voice and the singular sound of each celestial instrument, the grandeur of the Most High is represented in its different aspects. And when they all resound together in an eternal concert, their sole purpose is to proclaim in unison the ensemble of the Creator’s attributes.
On the other hand, if the Angels express their joy through music, would they not intone a completely original song every time God reveals one of His wonders to them? For example, what hymn would be composed by the heavenly spirits when a new truth is announced to them, a new splendour of the Blessed Trinity?
We do not know, but it is a point on which we are invited to meditate as we contemplate this chapel.
Therefore, let us ask the Holy Angels that they intensify their interaction with us. And that, in addition to allowing us to listen, already on this earth, to some of the magnificent melodies of Heaven, they also reveal to us some small part of the surprises that God continually makes known to His heavenly servants. ◊
Notes
1 ST. JOHN BOSCO. Biografía y escritos. In: Obras Completas. 2.ed. Madrid: BAC, 1967, p.618-619.
