The master Christian

Synopsis : The novel opens in Rouen, where Cardinal Felix Bonpre has stopped on a tour in aid of his health, but also allowing him to contemplate the state of faith in the country. Unfortunatley he has become depressed by his observations, and argues with the Archbishop of Rouen, declaring it is the churches fault. That night he has a vision of the end of the world, and cries out in prayer to God to come again to redeem mankind. He discovers a desolate figure of a young boy weeping at the locked doors of the cathedral, and decides to take him under his protection. The Cardinal is unaware that the boy, Manuel, is in fact Christ. They travel to Paris to the the house of the Cardinal's niece, a famous artist named Angela Sovrani. There they meet the Abbe Vergniaud, who harbours secrets in his past, and doubts about his beliefs. Two days later the Abbe, a brilliant speaker, gives an eloquent sermon at the church of Notre Dame de Lorette, denouncing the hypocrisy of all churches, including the catholic church, the stifling of discussion, and the prevalence of materialism and atheism. He then admits his own past and his own guilt....