Just church, that's all

Sparse, simple, uncluttered - but also visually lean. I'm sitting in the nave of Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Geneva which is so deeply entwined with the story of John Calvin and the Reformation. It's a stark contrast to all the French churches and cathedrals I've visited over the last ten days or so.

There's no altar (although there is a communion table in the nave, underneath the huge pulpit). The great apse at the front of the church is unused now, so becomes a kind of strange void, a place where something obviously used to be. Aside from the stained glass, everything is clean lines and undistracting. But - honestly? - also boring.

I prayed here, sitting up in the apse where you could remain undisturbed for ages. There is a sense of God here, but it feels like coming from a series of interesting local market town shops into Lidl's. It's plain, functional, gets the job done. But where's the soul?

To all my Calvinist friends: please note that, even though I'm not terribly inspired here, I did make the effort to come!

///palms.aviation.number