While writing my first six books, I avoided research and wrote only what I knew with the facts I could easily look up. Now I find diving into history is exciting and gives me a better sense of the people and places about which I write. Now I’m a believer. Researching for historical fiction is well worth the effort.
For my current novel, The Peasant’s Daughter, the research should take place in France, but a visit there is not in my immediate future. Instead, while in Saint Augustine FL last week, I got a feel for historic churches and their importance in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the oldest Catholic parish in the contiguous United States. The parish dates back to 1565 when Spanish explorers and missionaries left a lasting mark in the New World.
Ponce De Leon explored the area, and the baptismal font in the cathedral is a replica of the one in which he was baptized in his native village in northern Spain in 1474.
The Cathedral Basilica, with its amazing architecture, stands in the historic center of St. Augustine. The current building was constructed between 1793 and 1797 in Spanish Colonial style but was devastated by a fire in 1887. It has since been rebuilt and then renovated in 1965 and 2015 with skilled craftsmen and art work from all over Europe.
Bob and I sat in the nave under the soaring, wood-beamed ceilings and gawked at the mosaics, stained glass windows, paintings, and general wonder of the church. It reminds me of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Chicago but more well lit and opulent.
The parish is alive and well. They also give regular tours to the curious public. We missed the tour, but it was enough to sit quietly in a pew and soak up the history—one of our favorite stops on our two-day visit.
Check out their website at http://www.thefirstparish.org.
Jeanne Meeks ~ Fiction Author 