10.6.19

This was a post office...


This used to be a post office, an important one. You can still read the inscriptions on the façade: “P.T.T. BUREAU 34 P.T.T.”. “P.T.T.” stand for “Postes, Télégraphes, Téléphones” (translation hardly needed). This was the name of the French administration of postal services and telecommunications until 1991, when it was split into “La Poste” and “France Télécom”. This could have been my post office, but no… it’s now a very recently opened “Agnès b.” shop. I could possibly go here to buy a fairly expensive shirt or jacket, but for my postal services I must now walk quite a bit further.

There is still a little post office entrance and some limited postal services are offered, but only for “business”, not for “common people”.


One reason why I stopped in front of the shop - and actually entered – was that I saw this mural painting... still there. It has been there since 1946 and was then part of the post office decoration. The title of the painting is obviously “Saint Gabriel” and it was made by Edmée Larnaudie (1911-2001).  It may be a bit surprising to see that a religious painting used to decorate what was then a state office … but we must perhaps then remember that “Saint Gabriel” is the patron saint of postmen. It’s nice to see that the decorators of the shop have decided to keep the painting … and if you ask, the shop even offers a little paper about it and about the artist, who also sculpted, created tapestry, decoration for the Paris Opera…     

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, I do not remember how many Gabriels are in the Catholic liturgy.
I know there were 3 or 4 archangels - princes among the angels - who were iincredibly beautiful.
For the delivery of the news - The Annunciation - God chose the Archangel Gabriel, whose blinding beauty stunned Mary.
I love this post, it's so sweet.
Thank you, Peter.
Maria Russell

claude said...

A part la peinture murale, franchement aucune âme dans cette boutique. Etonnant la disparition de cette poste.

Shammickite said...

I am very happy that the painting on the wall has been preserved.