#MicroblogMondays 3: La Perquages

So many nice little ideas to choose from…. But that might leave me with some backup ideas for other weeks :-) I’m  having a lovely vacation on Jersey, Channel Islands at the moment and hopefully will get around to write more about it on the weekend at the latest.

I don’t remember having read or seen anything about the very unique “Perquages” of Jersey during my first stay here in 2007. A “perquage” is a direct path from a church to the nearest beach. Back in the days (started in the Norman days apparently) anyone who was accused of a crime on this island had the right to take sanctuary in a church, where the authorities couldn’t reach them. This sanctuary extended to these paths to the beach,  which made them a safe passage for escape from the island. In my romantic imagination those criminals were grateful for their 2nd chance and after absolution from their sins through the church went off to lead a decent honorable life in France or England or anywhere. But to be honest quite a few of them probably just started harassing folks on another island :-)

As a hopeless romantic I still like this notion of a scots-free escape through the churchgrounds. It’s not so much the scots-free aspect of it all but the sanctuary and safe passage to a new start. That’s not so easy to achieve in our time, right? But it probably wasn’t so easy back then either. I romanticise it, I know :-)

image

Perquage at St. Brelade Church

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4 Responses to #MicroblogMondays 3: La Perquages

  1. Mel says:

    Very pretty picture. I like the steps leading somewhere for the Jean Valjean-like criminal. Not so much for the real criminals :-)

  2. Mali says:

    I love this – it’s very romantic.

  3. Susanne says:

    Yeah, that’s the type of criminals I want to imagine escape from there. The others… not so much :-)

  4. Susanne says:

    Yes, I thought so as well

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