Montmajour Abbey

History Visit Saint Maur Romanesque Bestiary Information History Visit Saint Maur Romanesque Bestiary Information History Visit Saint Maur Romanesque Bestiary Information History Visit Saint Maur Romanesque Bestiary Information ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ English Glossary The Saint Maur congregation The cloister’s Romanesque bestiary Montmajour Stipa, 2018. Stipa, Enclosure: the inner area of a monastery, closed Reformist monks The symbolic role of animals off to lay people, where monks lived in impression Abbey seclusion as set out by the Rule. The Saint Maur congregation arose from a The 12th-century sculptors depicted an animal Ex-voto, plural ex-voti: painting, object or text InPuzzle. reform movement, which started in 1618 in the world of complex symbolism designed for the From Provençal Romanesque placed in a church in thanks for a vow obtained great Parisian abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, edification of the monks and in praise of the to Classical splendour traduction or grace accorded. before spreading to the great Benedictine abbeys Creator. Each animal refers to a character trait Hundred Years’ War: a series of conflicts between in France. and feelings which are comparable to those of Monks and builders the Kings of France and England from 1337- Saint Maur was one of the companions of Saint men, amounting to a symbolic reflection of 1453. In times of peace, the Great Companies, Benedict, who drew up the Benedictine Rule a spiritual reality embodying the confrontation Marie-Hélène Forestier. Forestier. Marie-Hélène In the 10th century, bands of mercenaries, finding themselves observed by most Western abbeys during the between good and evil, with cats, bears, donkeys, a community of without pay, would pillage the kingdom. réalisation Middle Ages, but which after the Wars of Religion goats, and so on. Their depiction on the consoles Benedictine monks : distinctive signs left by stone Mason’s marks was frequently followed only laxly. The Saint expresses their subjugation to man. The abbey settled on a rocky island masons in order to claim payment. in 1846, Maur congregation worked to have the Rule There was no distinction between exotic and by Révoil rising up from the : big mountain. François Brosse. Mont Majour strictly observed, and was particularly active mythical animals in a society in which men marshes just outside Arles, the Mont Majour*. : place where monks assembled Chapter house in the 17th century. travelled but little. The bestiary includes hybrid In the mid-11th century they built the Chapel of under the authority of the abbot to hear a illustration animals and man-eating monsters such as the Saint Peter, and then an abbey church. The relic reading from a chapter of their Rule. Cultivated and open-minded monks Tarasque. The legend says that this monster of the True Cross kept in its crypt attracted large - half dragon and half lion - devoured people numbers of pilgrims, leading to the construction Practical information Plein Sens, Anders. The Rule promoted intellectual work by monks, who wanted to cross the Rhône marshes: in of the reliquary Chapel of the Holy Cross outside which relaunched spiritual reflection and led to the cloister it is depicted with a victim between the enclosure*in the 12th century. In the late Average length of visit: 1 hour conception works of scientific research. its jaws. 13th century the abbey’s influence extended Guided tours in French. In 1739, there were 2,346 works catalogued from the valley of the Isère to the Mediterranean, Tours are suitable for disabled visitors. in the library at Montmajour, and over 4,600 The presence of human figures via 56 priories. The abbey was fortified during in 1790. The Montmajour monks read Molière, the Hundred Years’ War*. Reforms carried Crébillon, Fontenelle, and Cervantes, as well as As in Ancient art, man is depicted amidst the out by the Saint Maur congregation in the Bookshop-Giftshop The guide for this monument is available in the ‘Itinéraires’ collection Diderot’s and d’Alembert’s Encyclopaedia. plant decor of the Corinthian capitals on the 18th century resulted in a phase of renewed in 4 different languages, in the bookshop-giftshop. columns. This can take the form of a head vigour and the construction of a new monastery. Monks and builders surrounded by foliage, or of a Biblical scene. Centre des monuments nationaux P. CadetP. © Centre des monuments nationaux, Paris. The capital opposite the entrance to the chapter Abbaye de Montmajour Exhibition venue Route de Fontvieille Organised into a network, the Maurists house, for instance, represents the Temptation 13200 Arles conducted a systematic reconstruction campaign of Christ, an exhortation to free oneself from The medieval buildings were listed as historic tél. 04 90 54 64 17 photos crédits of monastic buildings. At Montmajour their the bonds of sin, which the monks had to monuments in 1840 and restored from 1862 on. www.monuments-nationaux.fr veritable palace, built in the Classical style, acknowledge during the reading of the chapter. The abbey became State property in 1945. It singled it out as a major site in the south-east A Pentecostal scene in the south gallery now serves as a venue for exhibitions, and of the kingdom for this new congregation. represents the Holy Spirit descending upon each summer takes part in the Rencontres the apostles via a ribbon linking them. de la photographie d’Arles. *Explanations overleaf. History Visit Saint Maur Romanesque Bestiary Information ▲ 1 16 The abbey church of Notre Dame 6 The gatehouse was once the main entrance to N 14 The cloister’s north gallery was used for the abbey. Vincent Van Gogh drew this part of 18 4a burials, as may be seen from the wall-niche 17 1 The crypt has a dual function, acting as the the site as well as the surrounding countryside tombs, tomb stones, and floor paving. Its Ancient foundations of the abbey and as the lower church. on several occasions when staying in Arles in style is similar to that found at Saint-Trophime It is adapted to the land, compensating the slope, 1888-1889. These drawings are held by the in Arles, with fluted pillars and Corinthian 2 with the southern side dug into the rock. To the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. 15 capitals, restored by Henri Révoil in 1862. north, double arches reinforce the barrel vaulting, 15 The nave, dating from 1153 is an example of a construction method used for amphitheatres 7 The Saint Maur monastery 13 3 Provençal Romanesque architecture at its peak, in Roman days. Its strength means it can bear with a simple layout in a Latin cross and a single, 12 the weight of the abbey church. Mason’s marks* This was built by the Avignon architect 14 barrel-vaulted, very tall nave. In order to have may be seen on the pillars and vaults. The transept Pierre II Mignard between 1703 and 1719, an uninterrupted wall against the rock, the 9 and ambulatory lead to seven radiating chapels, though Maurists normally entrusted building 11 interior is lit by the windows of the choir and which were all used for mass, as the Montmajour works to a member of their community with by the tall bays above the crossing which were monks were also priests and celebrated private knowledge of architecture. After it was added in the 13th century. Only two of services. damaged by a fire, Jean-Baptiste Franque the originally planned five bays were built. 2 The rock cemetery reminds us of the funerary was put in charge of a second series of 16 The Chapel of Notre-Dame-la-Blanche in 8 7 vocation of Mount Majour*. The older graves works between 1726 and 1728. The 10 the north transept still has two wall-niche tombs, provide a place for the head and feet. two final building campaigns, carried out 5 one of which housed the sepulchre of Bertrand 3 The Hermitage of St. Peter, a semi-troglodyte in 1747 and 1776, gave the monastery de Maussang, an abbot of Montmajour in the pre-Romanesque chapel, is the oldest architectural its definitive shape with 16 bays on 14th century. ensemble of the abbey. Access to it is indicated the facade. During the French Revolution 17 The sacristy was added in the 15th century and by a figure of Saint Peter embedded in the wall. the monastery was used as a stone 6 4b enriched with a wash basin in the 18th century. 4a The Pons de l’Orme tower, work on which quarry and its roof and roof timbers 18 The archives room, which also dates from started in 1369, illustrates how the abbey was stripped. It was only listed as the 15th century, opens to the north, making it modified for defensive purposes during the a historic monument in 1921 suitable for reading and writing work. Hundred Years’ War*. The panoramic views and was partially restored from the top show the strategic position in 1994. the place occupied just outside Arles. 8 The old cellar was converted 4b The Chapel of the Holy Cross, visible in by architect Rudy Ricciotti in 2001. 11 The refectory is partially built into the rock. the east of the enclosure*, is another masterpiece The spiral staircase near the door leads to the of Provençal Romanesque architecture. It was The cloister and conventual buildings dormitory. built in the late 12th century for people on the 12 The east gallery houses the wall-niche tombs “Pardon de Montmajour” pilgrimage, which was 9 The west gallery contains many 12th-century of the Counts of Provence, who were major held on the feast of the Invention of the Holy marine graffiti discovered in 1993, including donors to the abbey.

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