Sodom and the Church of the Little Flower
Yesterday I went with friends to Sodom -- a little community not far from our farm as the crow flies, but, as the car travels, about 45 minutes away -- high up and reached by a very winding road.
According to the story, Sodom got its name about a century ago when a visiting Methodist minister, appalled by the free and easy ways of the inhabitants, said that they were no better than a bunch of Sodomites.
Officially. the place is called Revere but the residents cling proudly to the old name.
This trip came under the heading of research -- in my chapter of the collaborative novel I'm currently working on, my characters pay a visit to Sodom. And since it's been about thirty years since I was there, I thought I ought to take a look again before I wrote about it.
The Church of the Little Flower is kind of unexpected. It was the home of a Roman Catholic mission that operated from 1931 into, I think, the seventies -- here in this mountain fastness where the majority of churches are some flavor of Baptist.
In fact, today the church is owned by a Baptist. But he was evidently so moved by the feeling the building invokes, that rather than turn it into a vacation home, as had been his original intent, he restored it. And today it's available for meetings or special events.
I have a lot more to tell you about Sodom -- but as I doubt I'll be among the elect raptured away tomorrow, I'll save it for another post.
18 comments:
Such a charming little church in such a beautiful, tranquil setting! I am looking forward to exploring Sodom/Revere a lot more with you, Vicki! I absolutely love visiting out of the way places :)
I'm still here and as it is already tomorrow there's no chance for me of being among the select this time.
Ah well.
This little church is gorgeous; I love these little places, we have some very ancient, tiny churches dotted round the countryside here too. It's almost as if one could smell and feel centuries of worship by simple people. Somehow, quiet fervour becomes part of the fabric.
What a beautiful little church, and although it probably would have made a cute/unique vacation home, how neat that it's owner restored it and let's others use/enjoy it.
haha...i am still here so far...i like this old church...intersted in hearing those stories...
I love that little church! I love to photograph old churches when I can, always makes me wonder what their stories are.
Got my interest piqued, Vicki!
Looking forward to more installations!
Elora
I'm still here - but I've been ENraptured by this little church.
What a nice little church! I'm glad the new owner was able to preserve it. Hope I can get by one day to see it close up. I've been looking closely at what surely is a light over the front entrance, up in the eve of the narthex. Something about it doesn't look quite right. Jim
Exactly, Friko! Even though I'm not a believer, I can feel that same thing.
Good eyes, Jim. What you see is the remains of a very large hornet nest.
What a beautiful little church! It looks very much like the little Methodist church my family attended when I was a little girl. Pretty nice that the owner restored it...it would have made a nice little getaway home.
The architecture, setting, and restoration--all beautiful. Thanks for sharing another of the mountains' "hidden" jewels.
Very pretty chapel. look forward to more about Sodom. Wishing you a wonderful day! Cathy
I was just wondering how a Roman Catholic mission would have been received by the locals, in your neck of the woods, in 1931?
The residents actually prefer Sodom? I do love the Little Flower Church and can't wait to hear more.
I'm still waiting but I'm not at all sure I will make the cut. I bought the fixin's for dinner just in case we're still here. I think the folks should call their community Revere at least for the day. Can't imagine Jesus will grab up the Sodomites.
What a pretty little church! At least it looks little from the picture, but then when I took a look at the inside, it looked bigger? It looks just perfect in its setting amongst the trees and greenery.
Missed the rapture because I was already in Heaven on our farm in Sodom. We are making great progress and my daughter was getting the first plants in the ground. My husband I pitched our tent and were awaken each morning by a beautiful choru of early birds.
Martin -- I think the Church was well received mainly because the priest - Fr. Andrew Graves -- was an extremely well-liked man. I'll talk more about this in a later post.
Yes, indeed, moountainwoman -- many of not most of the residents prefer Sodom as a name.
Dannie -- Sodom is, indeed, a beautiful place. Lucky you!
If that little church could talk...
I have to admire someone who appreciates the history enough to preserve it. So few do.
Post a Comment