Beaulieu Abbey - Abbaye de Beaulieu-en

beaulieu EN_beaulieu 15/11/12 18:18 Page1
Visit
A Cistercian abbey
Information
History
Visit
A Cistercian abbey
▲
Information
History
▲
▲
Visit
A Cistercian abbey
Information
English
An example of a Cistercian abbey
Glossary
The Cistercian order
Albigensian Crusade: a religious war waged
against the Cathars in the south of France in
the early 13th century.
Cisterican order: a Benedictine monastic order
relating to Cîteaux Abbey.
Cluniac: relating to Cluny Abbey, head of
a Benedictine monastic order which became
powerful throughout Europe from the 10th
century onwards.
Hagioscope: opening in a wall facing the altar,
the sacred part of the church.
In commendam: direct appointment of an abbot
by the king, contrary to the principle of election
recommended in the rules.
Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870): one of the first
inspectors of historical monuments.
Routier: armed mercenaries who pillaged under
the authority of a gang leader.
Squinch: a vault supporting section allowing a
progression from a square to a circular shape.
Wars of Religion: civil wars between Protestants
and Roman Catholics, which tore France apart
during the second half of the 16th century.
The order was founded by Robert de Molesmes
in 1098 with the intention of restoring strict
observance of the rule written by Saint Benedict
of Nursia in the 6th century. The founder
believed that the luxury with which the Cluniacs*
served God was detrimental to their spiritual
life. The development of the order owes much
to the charisma of Saint Bernard (1090-1153),
a Clairvaux monk who defended asceticism and
plain, strict liturgy, without any ostentatious
ornamentation - the same principle that was
carried over into the architecture.
Uniform organisation
Each abbey affiliated to the order lived off
its own resources, which were essentially
agricultural and community-based.
The land assets were enriched by gifts and
legacies. The monks shared their time between
prayer and spiritual work. The lay brothers
were responsible for domestic chores as well
as work in the fields and within the enclosure.
Outside, the specialist barns (workshop, cattle,
etc.) played their part in the rational farming
of the estate. The Cistercian world made
a huge contribution to clearing new farmland
in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The monastery buildings were organised
according to an immutable plan: Beaulieu
Abbey, the 45th foundation of the Cistercian
order*, is a fine example of this.
Practical information
Average length of visit: 1 hour.
Specific facilities for disabled visitors.
Centre des monuments nationaux
Abbaye de Beaulieu
82330 Ginals
tél. 05 63 24 50 10 / 05 63 24 50 13
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
*Explanations overleaf.
Beaulieu Abbey
Sober architecture and contemporary art
From Cistercian Abbey...
crédits photos © Ministère de la Culture – Médiathèque du patrimoine, dist. RMN / Médéric Mieusement. illustration Tout pour plaire.
conception graphique Plein Sens, Anders. réalisation beau fixe. traduction Caractères et cætera. impression Stipa, janvier 2013.
History
The church
at the end
of the 18th
century
The abbey, founded by Adhémar III, Bishop of
Rodez in 1144, belonged to the Cistercian order*.
During the Albigensian crusade*, the first
church was destroyed, probably by routiers*.
It was rebuilt from 1275 onwards.
During the Wars of Religion*, the abbey was
devastated and later partly raised up from its
ruins. It was gradually abandoned after
the institution of in
commendam* in the
17th century.
The abbey was sold
as national property
in 1791 and became a farm. The church,
bequeathed to the town of Saint-Antonin-NobleVal, was to be moved there stone by stone.
Prosper Mérimée* denounced the absurdity of
this project, which was finally abandoned.
The abbey church was listed as a historic
monument in 1875.
...to contemporary art
In 1959, Pierre Brache and Geneviève Bonnefoi
undertook restoration work with the help of
the State. In 1973, their collection of art from
the 1940s to the present day was left, along
with the abbey, to the Caisse nationale des
monuments historiques et des sites, now known
as the Centre des monuments nationaux.
*Explanations overleaf.
beaulieu EN_beaulieu 15/11/12 18:18 Page4
History
Visit
A Cistercian abbey
Information
▲
The abbey church
The church is 56 metres long and 10 metres wide.
1 The facade is decorated with a seven-pointed rose
window and a doorway on which the style of the
sculpted characters indicates the period during
which the building work was completed the early 14th century.
2 The nave is very pure gothic from the second half
of the 13th century. It is remarkable for its height
and its 8-metre tall, high, narrow windows. Its
plainness is characteristic of Cistercian architecture.
Clear glass has thus been chosen to represent
the old windows, which most probably did not
originally include coloured patterns.
3 Above the transept intersection there is
a beautiful ribbed vault with eight radiating
segments on squinches*, with light from four rose
windows.
4 In the choir, light is provided by seven lancet
windows. There are three more rose windows at
the ends of the nave and the two transept wings.
The church therefore had seven rose windows in
all - an important figure in Christian symbolism.
The Paschal lamb is sculpted on the keystone of
the choir.
5 In the south chapel, a high door leads to
the dormitory: the monks came this way to night
services. A hagioscope* enabled sick monks
to follow the services from a distance.
6 Near the gate of the dead, to the north, a crossribbed keystone represents the hand of God.
Well after its listing in 1875, the church was used
as a stable, and later as a fodder barn.
The monastery buildings
The east building was reserved for the monks
and included the essential rooms for their daily
and spiritual life. On the first floor, there was
6
3
5
2
1
8
9
10
7
8
9
10
11
To 12
7
The lay building
N
4
To 13
the dormitory, whose roof, which was raised in
the 17th century, enclosed the rose window in
the southern transept of the church, in the form
of a star of David.
In the sacristy, on the ground floor, there are a
few remains of the stones of the former cloisters.
The chapter house is the oldest room in the abbey.
It was built in the 13th century and is the most
archaic in form, with its large columns without
capitals and massive square arches decorated with
old colours and geometric patterns.
The site of the cloisters, built in the 14th
century, is marked on the ground by a paved strip.
The south building used to house the kitchen,
monks’ refectory, warming room and scriptorium.
It was raised in the 17th century and converted
into an abbey house, with turrets built on either
side a century later. It now houses residential
premises and administrative offices.
In the Middle Ages, there was a passageway
linking the lay building to the nave of the abbey
church, especially for the lay people, so that
they could attend the services separately from
the monks. This passageway in the west wing
of the cloisters was called the ‘lay alley’.
11 The Gothic cellar, built in the second half of the
13th century, remains intact. It was used as a wine
cellar in the 19th century. Only the floor slab was
changed; the marks on the concrete show where
the barrels were kept. The ceiling has ten cross
ribs, resting in the middle on four round columns,
with capitals decorated with highly stylised flat
leaves, characteristic of the plain decorations
of the Cistercians*. The ribs are square and
the keystones sculpted with geometric patterns.
12 The old dormitory, on the first floor, is a
reminder that the communal living conditions of
the lay brothers were similar to those of the monks.
The contemporary art collection
Pierre Brache and Geneviève Bonnefoi, who took
a keen interest in the art of their time, built up
a rich and varied collection, including works by
Dubuffet, Hantaï, Michaux, Degottex, Viera Da
Silva and others. A new donation was added to
this collection in 1981.
13 The large pond, used to breed trout, has been
replenished with trout and carp.
(not on plan)
*Explanations overleaf.