Scarred by History

Yesterday I went to mass at St. Pierre's, the church nearest my apartment. I pass it every day walking back from the metro, but I only realized it was a church last week.

On it's facade is written:

République Française
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
Propriété communale

French Republic
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
Communal property

It's not every day you find a country's name and slogan on a church. Or, at least in the U.S., you don't find it on churches. We have the First Amendment to thank for that. France has had a much different history between the church and the state--an ugly, bitter war in which the state ultimately emerged triumphant.

Buildings like St. Pierre's still bear the scars of that history