Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 7
Overview
Sister Sandrine Bieil is drawn into the night's unfolding mystery when her superior asks her to open Saint-Sulpice after hours for an Opus Dei numerary connected to Bishop Aringarosa. The request seems suspiciously urgent and forces Sandrine to act despite her distrust of Opus Dei's influence and treatment of women.
The chapter shifts the story's focus from the Louvre to Saint-Sulpice, positioning the church as the next important location in the search tied to Aringarosa's secret plan. Sandrine's unease signals danger before the visitor even arrives.
Summary
In a modest two-room dwelling inside the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Sister Sandrine Bieil sleeps above the church where she has lived for over a decade. Although her formal residence is the nearby convent, her work as conservatrice d'affaires keeps her responsible for the church's practical operations, including maintenance, staffing, supplies, and securing the building after hours.
Sister Sandrine is awakened late at night by a telephone call from the abbé, her superior. The call unsettles her because the abbé is normally pious, predictable, and never contacts her at such an hour.
The abbé explains that Bishop Manuel Aringarosa, the head of Opus Dei, has requested a favor. One of Aringarosa's numeraries is in Paris and wants to see Saint-Sulpice before an early flight, so the abbé asks Sister Sandrine to admit the visitor at one o'clock, only twenty minutes away.
Sister Sandrine questions the urgency, noting that Saint-Sulpice is most remarkable by day because of the sunlight through the oculus and the effects on the gnomon. Despite her confusion, she obeys the abbé's request and agrees to let the Opus Dei visitor inside.
After the call, Sister Sandrine reflects uneasily on Opus Dei's power, its controversial rise within the Church, and its treatment of women. As she gets out of bed and feels the cold stone beneath her feet, her apprehension grows; instead of spiritual calm, she senses only silence in the empty church.
Who Appears
- Sister Sandrine BieilSaint-Sulpice caretaker awakened to admit an Opus Dei visitor despite growing unease.
- The abbéSandrine's superior, unusually nervous while relaying Aringarosa's late-night request.
- Manuel AringarosaInfluential Opus Dei bishop whose favor prompts the after-hours church access.
- Opus Dei numeraryUnseen visitor expected at Saint-Sulpice, allegedly eager to view the church before dawn.