Notre Dame St. Eglise : Ferney-Voltaire, FR
Most of the Latin and Greek I learned was years ago when I was studying medical terminology. Unfortunately, it is of little use to me in my effort to translate the words above the door of Notre Dame St. Eglise in Ferney. I know "Deo" means god or deity, but beyond that I'm stuck. Anyone out there know Latin?
Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/10
7 comments:
Google brought me right back here, but a little more searching indicated possibly "To God, the Best, the Greatest, and Most Sacred", although it is spelled a little differently (Optimo and Maximo). So maybe it's "To God, the Good, the Great, and the Sacred."
All I know is that it is Sacred: the church and your image of it.
I am laughing (at myself) because in my plan ignorant I can figure out anything if I try way, I read it as...
Deo = God
Optim = the best
Maxim = the most or the biggest
sacrvm - sacred or sanctum
Then I went to a translator. shaking head.
Thank goodness for buildings like these to remind us of the past.
Larry: I tried translator programs and got nada. I should have just used Google. Thanks for doing that for me!
Countess: Thank you!
Cele: That's okay. I'm shaking my head that I didn't think to just type it into Google, like Larry did. D'oh!
Mo: AMEN! Compared to some of the other "Soviet" style buildings around here, this one's a gem.
My dad knows Latin. Nice shot!
"To God, most good, most great, sacred."
DEO OPTIMO MAXIMO: To God, most good, most great
SACRUM: sacred / holy
Or, more simply: "[This church is] sacred to God, the best and greatest."
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