1 7 6 5 The Dormitory Ve - Xe XIe - XIVe XVe - XVIe THE PALACE The Chapel ORIGINS From the reception area, you arrive The mural visible from the dormitory window depicts the Last This immense AT THE TIME OF CHARLEMAGNE Welcome to the Lord Abbot’s dwelling. Judgement, with the usual notions of heaven and hell, and the not in a cloister, but a palace courtyard. dormitory has also Observation weighing of souls... On the wall behind the altar is an oriental-style spent several decades Stand at the entrance to the These are the abbot’s private quarters. mural, the Tree of Life, a very original topic for that era. This is the most intriguing and most moving part of the abbey. The arm N under a collapsed dormitory and observe the The chapel floor is paved in multicoloured tiles in a carefully designed MOMENTS OF HISTORY The Abbot of Lagrasse is a powerful lord roof. It is now a beautiful arches... which are out of the transept, which you can access after the sacristy (1), extends geometric arrangement of extraordinary beauty. Workers are busy. The fashionable and many of the monks are wealthy, magnificent space of alignment! This is deliberate; into an entire church on the other side of the wall between us and our where calm and the walls are not perfectly 1 2 Gothic style demands air, light and come from noble families and have comfort reign. Take a parallel, to fit better into the neighbours, the canon community (2). Excavations have uncovered the 8 moment to listen to environment. This aesthetic elegance. Some old Norman column their own servants. Lagrasse is the most Entrance Hall depths of time, as far back as the 8th and 9th centuries and the abbey’s heads are taken away to be re-used the quality of silence choice was typical of Abbot powerful abbey of medieval Languedoc A lively spectacle in three colours: ochre, here, most unusual Auger de Gogenx. At the base foundation. in the courtyard of the new abbey for such a vast space... of the arches lie decorative and a major business which receives red and black. If you look more closely, palace. In the abbot’s private chapel, patterns appear in the form of lines Communal life knew many exceptions under Benedictine rule. consoles designed to be seen There were some independent dwellings within the abbey from below, from what is now the walls and floor are colourfully donations, helps the village to develop that undulate all over the hall. It was Observation Comprehension the discovery of these patterns and the walls and, in the dormitory, wooden partitions created private the larder! Archaeologists think decorated. There are numerous and manages its assets from Catalonia restoration of their bright colours that compartments... that the larder and dormitory The first area, the sacristy, was The foundation of Lagrasse monks and they are wealthy. They to Albigeois. It is a place for prayer, but led to further restoration work being may have originally formed a raised in the 17th century to probably dates back to enjoy life’s comforts. The prosperous undertaken. single, vast space. accommodate a guest house and the beginning of the 8th also a hive of everyday activity. infirmary. Much of the floor is still abbey has its own water supply. It century. Its existence is On either side of the door that opens covered by 16th century paving confirmed by a privilege works the land and sustains the onto the chapel, you will notice two slabs. Under the paving, archaeo- charter that was given by superb human head sculptures, one of MEALS logists discovered a calade from 5 village, driving its development. Living Quarters Charlemagne in 779 to LAGRASSE the time of Auger and, under- ABBEY which appears to have been carved out Meals were governed by the Rule of Abbot Nimfridus, the first Goods arrive over the bridge, 2 and Opulence of foliage... St Benedict. There is normally one neath, holes and posts dating known abbot of Lagrasse. craftsmen work at full capacity and back to the Carolingian era. All Comprehension main meal comprising 3 courses The document is written of this was found just under the the market building is the busy scene which is taken at the end of the wor- in Merovingian and is the Many of the objects in the palace courtyard Comprehension paving, which means the site has oldest document to be held of lucrative trade. In the abbey, the king day. The first dish is composed come from other parts of the abbey. Some of always been used since it was in the département archives. The palace rooms are voice of ancient times can be heard, the column heads are from the Romanesque In the 13th and 14th centuries, it took substantial human and financial resources to execute such of pulses, such as beans or lentils. first built. Nimfridus was a friend of 4 accessible from the era, although the palace was built later, in decorative work. It is thought that Auger de Gogenx called upon the great craftsmen who were working at The second is a protein dish of eggs, Benedict d’Aniane, who vibrantly, often unexpectedly... courtyard via galleries Gothic times. Before it achieved heritage the time on Narbonne Cathedral and Carcassonne’s Saint-Nazaire Cathedral. The décor also demonstrates fish or poultry. The Rule forbids the The second area is the North was an influential advisor to which also link it status, the abbey was a living space which an expressive spirituality. Art serves faith, expressing its power and beauty. There are different schools of arm of the transept of the Charlemagne’s son, Louis with the service and consumption of beef or the meat of evolved through the centuries to comply Christian thought. The Benedictines, for example, seek to glorify the work of God while others, like the abbey church. Here lie the the Pious. He reformed the reception areas, like the any other quadruped. Finally, dessert 7 8 with the needs and methods of each era. Cistercians or Franciscans, advocate a return to the simplicity of origins. In that respect they are close to abbey’s oldest remains, the Rule of St Benedict, which entrance hall at the far end of the first gallery. with fruit and honey... On top of this the Cathar heresy that they are fighting against... pre-Norman tower and gave huge momentum to The lavishly decorated hall near the stables is main meal, 2 or 3 collations are taken The centuries overlap here and every chapter the church dating back to monasticism to the benefit probably where Abbot Auger received prestigious during the day. WITH THIS FREE GUIDE, of the abbey’s long history is represented. Its the very beginning of the of the Carolingian dynasty. ESPLANADE 3 guests. The door and ceiling are decorated with division into two sections is another specific Romanesque era in the 11th 2 Abbot Auger’s coat of arms... There are 144 on EXPLORE THE BEST OF LAGRASSE: feature. You are in the medieval section century. this ceiling alone! The coat of arms can also which has been owned by the département COMMUNAL SITES “Calade”: pebble pavements THE ABBEY, THE VILLAGE AND 1 Ground Floor be seen just about everywhere in the abbey, 6 since 2004. The other section, with its 17th- COMFORT AND OPULENCE THE BEAUTY OF NATURE. IT INCLUDES 1 1 Upper Floor especially the chapel on the 1st floor. and 18th-century overall architecture, is used 4 by the Canons Regular of the Mother of God. The Bakery 3 ALL OUR FAVOURITE SPOTS... The division happened during the French The Larder A LEGEND Revolution when the abbey was sold in two The bakery, or kitchen, was cleverly adjoined to the larder and was used by the monks. There was an oven, In the mid 13th century, the monks of Lagrasse produced an authentic gest, an epic story lots. The larder is the abbey’s food storeroom. And it the remains of which are still visible in the fireplace and on the other side of the wall, in the courtyard. BUT FOR THE CURIOUS WHO WANT TO is quite impressive. It stores flour, wine, salt and about the foundation of their abbey. The gest mentions the heroes of the Song of Roland, Charlemagne, Bishop Turpin, and Christ himself... There are two known versions of this SEE AND SHARE EVEN MORE INTERESTING On the 1st floor of the palace, in the dormitory, a window overlooks the Auger de oil, among other items, for an undoubtedly huge population: monks and their servants, passing Comprehension work of propaganda which was intended to further establish the abbey’s reputation. One FACTS AND FEATURES, OTHER TOOLS ARE BOOK CAFÉ + DETAILS ON Gogenx Chapel. This window, like the door that can be seen on the other side of the guests, etc. Feeding them all requires enormous is written in Latin, the other in Occitan. This is characteristic of our region: from very early stocks, which arrive from the numerous assets AT YOUR DISPOSAL. Archaeologists discovered pipes running throughout the abbey. From the Middle Ages on, texts were translated into spoken language. LE MARQUE-PAGE payscathare.org chapel, opens onto this gem of Gothic art. The outdoor gallery will take you to the managed by the abbey, or from surrounding it had a water supply, like all monasteries. Monks dug a small canal, or béal in Occitan. estates where watermills and windmills produce entrance hall which is behind that door and, a little further on, there is a stately hall with Water is tapped 2 km away and a sufficient slope ensures that it reaches the abbey.