Attractions and Places To See around Forcé - Top 20

The patronage of this church has been entrusted to Saint Simeon, who is mentioned in the New Testament. According to the biblical account by Luke, he and the prophetess Anna were the two people present in the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after the birth of Jesus Christ, when Mary and Joseph—following Jewish custom—entered the Temple with their firstborn son and an offering (two doves). The Evangelist records the following prayer on the occasion of this encounter between the elderly Simeon and Jesus as the promised Messiah: "Now, Lord, you are releasing your servant in peace, according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32)

The cathedral (i.e., a bishop's church) in Laval was not dedicated to one of the many people we venerate as saints, but rather, the ONE God in THREE Persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God's Holy Spirit – was chosen as its patron saint. Father Reinhard Körner writes about the mystery of the Holy Trinity: + "Among the great prayer-givers in the history of Christianity... I found prayer texts in which each of the divine Three was explicitly addressed – in the same prayer. When I tried to recite the texts, I could sense that these people had not only individually envisioned God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – they were addressing a divine community. And it seemed to me that they could only do this in their written prayers because they also did so otherwise, quietly in their hearts."

This church was not dedicated to one of the many people who died as martyrs (witnesses to their faith) for their Christian beliefs, or whom we venerate as blessed or saints because of their exemplary lives. Rather, this parish has chosen God himself – in the "Holy Trinity" – as its patron saint. According to Christian doctrine, we believe in ONE God, who exists in THREE persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The following description can be found on the EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) website: + “The word attempts to express the seemingly impossible, namely that God is simultaneously three and one. To understand this, it helps to consider how people have experienced God throughout history: as a Creator who loves his world and humanity like a father loves his children. As a God who himself became human in Jesus Christ, his Son, and shared human life. And finally, as a God who is still present and alive among people in the Holy Spirit.”

The Catholic Church - Saints Cyr and Julitte d'Argentré dates from Roman times and is dedicated to Saint Cyr and Saint Julitte, two martyrs of the early Christian church. You can admire the fresco in the vault above the main altar, which features geometric patterns from the 12th century. You can also admire the marble altarpieces from the 17th and 18th centuries, the clock from 1875, the paintings and stained glass windows from the 20th century. The church is open to visitors during Heritage Days which take place every year in September.

Simeon is an old man from the time of Jesus Christ who was told by God that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Imagine the anguish he had seeing himself aging day after day. But one day, in front of the Temple of Jerusalem, he saw Mary and Joseph bringing their son Jesus, to fulfill the Law of Moses, like good practitioners. Then Simeon took the child: "Now Lord, you may let your servant go in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen the Savior whom you are preparing, Light to enlighten the Greeks, and Glory of your chosen people." Simeon's canticle is also called the "Nunc Dimitis". It is sung every night before going to sleep by all the priests and all the men and women religious of the Catholic Church throughout the world.

This cathedral deploys a certain pedagogy to express and give life to the dogma of the Trinity.

Cyr and Julitte are figures of saints who have marked Christianity for more than a millennium. Cyr is a 5-year-old child, very mature for his age, who lived in Tarsus, near Antioch (in present-day Turkey), in the 3rd century AD, when the Roman Empire massacred Christians en masse. . During one of those horrific trials where Christians were sentenced to death, Cyr snuck into court running and shouting "I'm a Christian too!". When the judge caught him, he smashed his head against a wall. His mother, Juliette, was also martyred. The horror of their treatment and the heroic hope they demonstrated made them popular as far away as Gaul, especially around Versailles and Nevers. 42 villages bear the name of "Saint-Cyr". see https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1329/Saints-Cyr-et-Julitte.html

The cathedral is worth a visit.