Langres, Champagne-Ardenne, France
Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887), Protestant minister and author
The Cathédral Saint-Mammès de Langres, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, has twin towers that jut heavenward like outstretched arms beckoning angels to draw near to hear whispered prayers and to soothe the souls of families and children. Welcoming all who come to pray through its festive red doors, the cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mammès of Caesarea, a child whose parents were executed for being Christians. After his own teen martyrdom, Mammès’s relics were taken to the cathedral in Langres in 1209 to be safeguarded along with those of martyred Cappadocian triplets, Saints Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Melapsippus.
If you are inspired by the faith of a child and wish to pray for children or for the souls of the child-saints whose relics are enshrined in the Cathédral Saint-Mammès de Langres, visit the cathedral, which is roughly an hour’s drive northeast of Dijon or 183 miles from Paris and is easily accessible by car or bus.
Hold love in your heart for children of all nations as you light a candle and pray to Holy Mother Mary that your faith be as strong as a child’s love for his or her parents and for protection and love for all God’s children.
Dedicated in 1196, the cathedral straddles two styles: Burgundy-Romanesque and Gothic. It is a national monument of France and the seat of the bishop of Langres.