The Priory and the Fortified Town Eau-Mère's Odyssey
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Pierre le Vénérable Cluny plaid a major role in 12th century Europe. Pierre de Montboissier, known as Pierre Following in the footsteps le Vénérable (1092-1196), was its ninth abbot. He was of the Cluny monks… responsible for the creation Villes et bourgs of a network of more than Created in 1994, the Federation of clunisian sites is a network of the places which, in de caractere one thousand two hundred du Livradois-Forez establishments with around Europe, have contributed to the development ten thousand monks. He and renown of Cluny, from the 10th to the came from a noble family 18th centuries. In 2004, the Federation in Montboissier, in the presented ‘a project for cultural itineraries heights of the Livradois based on the discovery of great figures of (a few miles from the clunisian epic and on the rereading Sauxillanges). From an of its history’. The following year, this early age he was set project received the label of ‘Great to become a member Cultural Itinerary’ from the Council of a monastic order. of Europe. After his studies at the In 2006, there were one hundred priory of Sauxillanges, he went to Cluny at the age of or so sites. The network is growing seventeen or so in order to complete his profession of throughout Europe. Its aim is to faith. He then came back to Sauxillanges and stayed make the history and heritage of the until the death of his father in 1116. Four years later, Cluny monks known to the greatest he was named prior in Nomène near Grenoble. He was number. There are eight sites in the called up to Cluny in order to elect a new abbot but Puy-de-Dôme, two of which are in the it was he that was elected, in 1122, to direct Livradois-Forez Regional Nature Park: the Order. He was an indefatigable traveler. Ris, and Sauxillanges with its priory and t the beginning of our era, He was also an outstanding diplomat, notably prior’s chapel. the Gaulish villages took during the election of pope Innocent II against A advantage of the Pax Romana the antipope Anaclet II in 1130. He initiated a in order to set up villages near to series of reforms, some economic, so that the rivers and Roman roads. Up to then, Order could return to its former splendor and villages had been on top of fortified influence. He wrote a number of treatises which hills. Progressively, the inhabitants refuted Jewish and Islamic doctrine (he had the abandoned the vernacular language Koran translated into Latin in order to do this). Pierre le Vénérable died on the 24th September Contact: Fédération des Sites Clunisiens, and adopted that of the occupier. 1156 as the monks were celebrating Christmas Tour des Fromages – 71250 Cluny Place names became romanized too. mass. The name of ‘Vénérable’ was given to him Telephone/Fax: 03 85 59 31 82 Legend has it that Celsus, a wealthy Eau-Mère’s odyssey just before his death by the emperor Frederick Internet: http://fsc.cluny.free.fr landowner, became Celsinius and had himself built a villa near to In the Middle-Ages, the presence of a monastery or of a priory was an 1st Barbarossa. important source of economic development for a region. It is thanks a stream. His ancestors probably to its priory that Sauxillanges became prosperous. La Réveille source venerated this stream. The villa was As is the case for many towns, the presence of water in Sauxillanges h e T o w n s a n d v i l l a g e s o f ‘A kilometre to the north-west of Sauxillanges, near the path to Flat, there is a Roman in design: a vast courtyard was also important for its development. An impressive number of T mills were built along the well-named Eau-Mère (‘mother-water’). c h a r a c T e r o f T h e livradois-fo r e z source of mineral water; its name is well known: ‘La Réveille’. The water is cold and surrounded by various buildings. slightly acid, uncomplicated, without any colour, and somewhat sour. Its flavour is In 927, there were five mills. In 1774 there were ten still in acti- slightly alkaline. We analysed it in 1845, but as we only tested a very small quantity, The future Sauxillanges was born… vity, including a ‘martinet’, a mill with pestles used to forge metal. our results are only approximate. The water of La Réveille being both alkaline Diverted by men, as is the case of the reach in Sauxillanges, or not, he heritage of the Livradois-Forez and slightly sour, it may be appropriate for people suffering from slow or difficult In the second half of the 3rd the river, was virtually an inexhaustible source of energy. Regional Nature Parc is rich. digestion, for those suffering from gout, gallstones, or gravel, and for those whose century, Austremoine, first bishop The priory and Until the end of the 18th century, Sauxillanges was a busy place T It is made up of a network of towns, liver or spleen are engorged, also for those who are anaemic or have chlorosis. The whose economic activity was even greater than that of Issoire. There and big and small villages. Economic activity sample was given to us by one of our clients; we did not draw it up ourselves.’ of Clermont (one of the oldest the fortified town were numerous craftsmen: tanners, carders, millers, weavers, dyers, consists of agriculture, forestry, crafts and 1846. Annales scientifiques, littéraires et industrielles de l’Auvergne; published diocese of Gaul) led a campaign to potters, cobblers, cartwrights, stone carvers, joiners and carpenters, industry. The spatial organization of these by the Academy of Science, Arts and Literature of Clermont-Ferrand, under the Twelve monks from Cluny came to set up the monastery in and even bell makers and jewellers. The town was well-known for its direction of M. Henri Lecoq. evangelize the Auvergne. Numerous Sauxillanges. They had considerable financial means at their disposal. activities goes back, for the most part, muslin, and for its ‘camelot’, a fabric made from wool and goat’s hair, places of worship were built, often They had a vast church built, dedicated to the patron saints of their which was sold as far away as Germany, Spain, and even India. to the Middle-Ages and produced, order: Saint Peter and Saint Paul. They also had a church constructed from the 14th century on, an interesting, simple chapels, sometimes made In 1772, the route from Clermont to Brioude via Issoire was opened, for the inhabitants of the town: Our Lady of the Assumption, which and later on the railway line, also via Issoire. This put an end to the and sometimes remarkable, urban architecture. just of wood. was enlarged in the 15th century. Towards the end of the first economic growth of Sauxillanges, despite the efforts of several new The Parc Naturel Régional Livradois-Forez assists In 1062, the abbey became a priory under direct authority of Cluny. manufactures: a tilery, a laundry, and a wire mesh maker set up in the communes in their efforts to revitalize those The Maison du millennium, monachism became a Its influence and wealth grew and it became, a few decades later, one the former Notre-Dame-du Bois chapel. Most of the craftsmen had to urban centers that are particularly interesting. Patrimoine, local very important phenomenon and of the privileged ‘five daughters’ of Cluny. give up their activities, and the mills shut down one after the other. several thousand monasteries were New buildings were built: cloister, chapter room, dormitory, refectory, Today, Sauxillanges is nothing like the medieval town of Pierre le history museum prior’s chapel, stables, fermentation room, storehouses and other Vénérable, and even less like the Gallo-Roman villa of Celsinius. built all over Europe. outhouses indispensible to the upkeep of a large monastic community Though, over time, the town has lost some of its splendour, its What would the religious heritage of In 909, Guillaume 1er le Pieux (at its height: sixty or so monks and a considerable number of walls, buildings and monuments are there as evidence of its rich USEFUL ADDRESSES Sauxillanges, especially the remains (i.e. William the 1st ‘the pious’), servants and various acolytes). A hospice was also added to take and fascinating history, and are one of the main reasons for its care of the sick, travellers, and pilgrims on their way to St James lasting appeal. Mairie (Town Hall) of the priory, have become had it who owned several counties of Compostella. 6, Place de l’Ancienne-Poste not been for the small group of including the Auvergne and Mâcon, In the 12th century, fortifications were built to protect monastic 63490 Sauxillanges enthusiasts who, at the end of the Telephone: 04 73 96 80 25 founded an abbey in Cluny (in property. Sauxillanges thus survived the destructions of the One Fax: 04 73 96 87 24 80s, set up an association to revive the Saône-et-Loire). It was Benedictine Hundred Years War (1337-1453). [email protected] brilliant past of the town? Later on, two new walls were built around the town. The second was Pottery The association Pierre-le-Vénérable and followed Catholic tradition. put up in the 15th century. It had a moat, towers, and the Coche, Notre-Dame, and Saint Martin gates. Sauxillanges was for a long time, was launched in 1987. Its aim is to He decided to also have built, Tourist Information Office preserve and renovate the heritage of in the upper part of his villa in After this prosperous period, the priory slowly declined.