Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Secrets Of The Abbey

Wandering Around Cottage - January 2017 Edition

Part 2


In my previous post, I took you to an adorable medieval village, Cruas. We climbed (or rather I climbed for you) on top of a tower that gave us a pretty view on the old castle, the modern power plant and a beautiful church... This is were we're going today.

Dans mon article précédent, je vous ai emmené dans l'adorable village médiéval de Cruas. Nous avons grimpé (ou plutôt j'ai grimpé pour vous) en haut d'une tour d'où nous avions une belle vue sur le vieux château, la centrale nucléaire et une belle église... C'est là que je vous emmène aujourd'hui.



So as we walk down from the village on top of the hill, let me tell you a few things about the church.

Profitons de la marche depuis le village situé en hauteur vers l'abbatiale en contre-bas pour vous dire quelques petites choses sur ce bâtiment.

 
It was actually part of an abbey that was very powerful in the middle ages, but as since then disappeared. During the Religious Wars, the monks took refuge in the castle I showed you in my last post. And the wars lasted for a very long time: the abbey was flooded several times by the nearby river and it left alluvium inside the church. When they came back, rather than removing the alluvium, it was decided to add on it to create a floor a lot higher than before which created a church with an unsual low ceiling for such a building.


Au départ, comme son nom l'indique, l'abbatiale faisait partie d'une abbaye qui était assez puissante au début du Moyen Age. Néanmoins, pendant les guerres de religion, les moines ont abandonné leur abbaye pour se réfugier dans le château que je vous ai montré la dernière fois. Et les guerres ont duré, duré... l'abbaye a été entre temps inondée à plusieurs reprises par la rivière toute proche, chaque inondation déposant une couche d'alluvions dans l'église.  Quand les moines revinrent à l'église, plutôt que de retirer ces couches, ils décidèrent d'en rajouter pour créer un nouveau sol dans l'église, rendant la hauteur sous-plafond très basse pour ce genre de bâtiment.

The abbey had disppeared with the French Revolution, but the church remained and was used as the village church after the Revolution. It could have slowly turned to ruin as it happened to many historical building at the beginning of the 19th century. But fortunately, Prosper Mérimée had it written on the list of historical buildings  in 1847.


L'abbaye a disparu au moment de la Révolution française, mais l'église est restée utilisée comme lieu de culte pour les habitants après la Révolution. Elle aurait pu tomber en ruines comme tant d'autres au XIXe siècle, mais heureusement Prosper Mérimée la classa aux Monuments historiques en 1847. 

"Prosper who?" I hear you think. I search my own blog for his name and I found I had never told you about this famous French writer who also happened to be "Chief of the historical buildings" for the government in the 19th century and who saved so many of our historical buildings.


Je me suis aperçue en faisant une recherche sur mon blog que je ne vous avais encore jamais cité Prosper Mérimée, cet écrivain aussi inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques au XIXe siècle qui a sauvé tant de bâtiments.

Anyway, let's speed forward to the seventies. Some archeological digs were organised and it was found that the church was actually built on a much lower level. They dug and dug to find an amazing several level church that was very well preserved and this is the building we can visit today.


Accélérons un peu les choses pour nous retrouver dans les années soixante-dix. Des fouilles archéologiques sont organisées. On découvre alors que le sol originel de l'abbatiale est bien plus profond que le sol contemporain... On creuse, on creuse pour retrouver une église sur plusieurs niveaux, telle qu'elle était au Moyen Age.

The church was built in what we call the "Romanesque style", which is about the same as what is called "Norman style" in English. It dates from the early Middle Ages, while Gothic style comes later. It's marked by round shapes, few openings in the walls and the famous semi-circular arches (I couldn't find an exact translation of the architectural word, but if someone knows it, I'll be happy to be corrected).


L'église a été construite dans ce que l'on appelle le style roman, caractéristique du début du Moyen Age. On reconnaît effectivement dans le bâtiment les rondeurs, les fenêtres rares et les fameux arcs de plein cintre, typiques de cette époque.

As you come inside, you can see there's a platform: this is were the monks would listen to mass.

En entrant dans l'abbatiale, on est frappé par une estrade inhabituelle. C'est de là que les moines assistaient à la messe.

 
Under the platform is a wonderfully preserved area with beautiful columns. This is were pilgrims, staying for a little while in the abbey, would listen to the mass. The guide explained how this was highly symbolical to have the monks - closer to God - above the pilgrims.

Sous cette estrade est une pièce aux colonnes magnifiquement préservées. C'est de là que les pélerins de passages à l'abbaye écoutaient l'office. La guide a bien précisé que cette disposition était symbolique : les moines au dessus des "civils".


The capitals of the columns are all carved. Most of them are carved with leaves or animals - real or imaginary. There are only a few carvings representing humans, but I loved the one depicting a monk tempted by evil. My parents and I immediately noticed some Celtic carvings and we were surprised to find them in Southern France. The guide said that some stone carvers must have come all the way from Brittany to work here.


Les colonnes sont toutes sculptées. La plupart du temps, il s'agit de motifs floraux ou animaux (des bêtes réelles ou imaginaires). Très peu représentent des humains, mais la colonne montrant un moine tenté par le mal m'a amusée. Mes parents et moi avons tout de même remarqué des motifs qui semblaient bien celtiques. La guide nous a dit qu'on supposait que des tailleurs étaient venus de Bretagne pour travailler sur l'abbaye.

 
The crypt is the oldest part of the abbey and the columns are a little heavier there. On the altar is a very interesting sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding her dead son and she was sculpted crying, which the guide said is pretty rare.


La crypte est la partie la plus ancienne de l'église et les colonnes y sont un peu plus lourdes. Mais sur l'autel, il y a une sculpture de la vierge Marie tenant son fils et une larme a été sculptée sur sa joue, ce qui est assez rare d'après la guide.


I can't tell you how surprised I was to find such a beautiful building in a town I've known the name forever but had never bothered to stop by. So if you ever drive on the motorway and see the not-too-pretty nuclear power plant, please remember there's a wonderful village behind  it!


Je ne peux pas vous dire combien j'ai été enchantée de trouver un si beau bâtiment dans une ville dont je connais le nom depuis tout petite mais dans laquelle je n'avais jamais pris le temps de m'arrêter. La prochaine fois que, sur l'autoroute du sud, vous voyez l'affreuse centrale électrique de Cruas, pensez au superbe village qui se cache derrière !


See you next time!

A la prochaine fois !







PS1: This post is a shameless recap of what the fantastic tour guide told us. I did my best to transform a one-hour-and-a-half tour into a post you could read over coffee or tea or whiskey, so please excuse all the imperfection. Feel free to notify me of any mistake, I'm absolutely not a Middle Ages specialist... Only a middle aged woman!


PS 1 : Cet article est un résumé honteux des informations données par notre super guide. J'ai fait de mon mieux pour synthétiser une conférence d'une heure et demie en un article bref que vous puissiez lire en sirotant votre tasse de café, de thé ou votre whisky. Si vous remarquez des erreurs, merci de me les signaler. Je ne suis pas une spécialiste du Moyen Age ! - Et là, mon super jeu de mots en anglais ne se traduit pas du tout, mais je vous jure, c'était spirituel !


PS2: I'm sharing this visit to the abbey with the following blog:



34 comments:

  1. Oh Magali, the secrets are carved right into the walls, the columns, the faded paint of the abbey! LOVELY!!!!

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  2. The cravings and the weeping Mary, beautiful! So glad Prosper wanted to save the Church. I love these History lessons, thank you Magali:).
    Hope you and the kitties are staying warm and cozy, Kathleen in Az

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    1. Me and the kitties are definitely enjoying the fact that the roof has been insulated! Have a great end of the week!

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  3. If walls could talk, oh the stories they would tell!

    xxx

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  4. This post, Part 2 was worth the wait. I feel like I have been on a tour! This is what my husband and I enjoy doing while visiting France. Your history recap is so interesting and so are your photographs. Thanks so much for sharing your trip Magali...........

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  5. This is a gorgeous church. The carvings are exquisite. I found the Celtic symbol very interesting, as well as the sculpture of Mary weeping (thank you for the close up), holding the crucified Christ. What a shame it would have been to lose this beautiful architectural wonder. Prosper was a man of vision. xo

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  6. Oh Magali how gorgeous is this church with all its history. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. I do not think I have ever seen a sculpture of Mary holding the crucified Jesus so this is a rare find in deed. Beautiful captures of history.
    xoxo
    Kris

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  7. What a delightful tour of a fascinating church...and I love your explanations, Magali - I feel revitalized taking this "tour" with you. :)

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  8. Hi..such a Fabulous church..it's fascinating seeing places that were once buried..and the history lesson is great too..i enjoyed the end of this field trip immensely..Thanks again for taking us along..i did get a giggle out of..The guide said that some stone carvers must have come all the way from Brittany to work here...had me wonder what you must of thought hearing that..altho..i guess it was a much longer ride back then..hope you're having better weather then i am..snow..ice..an rain here this week..*sigh*

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  9. Such a lovely place with an interesting history! Thank you for sharing these great photographs and history.

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  10. This is a wonderful tour of someplace I would never be able to visit. Thank you!

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    1. You're welcome! I really like discovering new places on blogs, so I'm trying to do the same for my readers!

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  11. Hi Magali, your post was very fascinating. I always love it when you take me to a place that is so full of history. Have a wonderful week. xx Jo

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  12. Magali realmente muy interesante tu explicacion y muy hermosas las fotos y la Iglesia muy bella y bien conservada. hasta la proxima ;) .nelly

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  13. Oh, this is so lovely, Magali! Thank you for taking us along with you to this beautiful place! I love the carvings on the columns and the decorated tree outside :) xx Karen

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  14. I'm delighted to have discovered your blog and these posts about an area that I have visited but missed this town…probably because of the power plant.

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  15. Very interesting post.. Mediaeval history always fascinates me..

    I'm following you.
    Will you please follow me back: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed visiting the medieval church with me!
      Magali

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  16. Magali, this is fantastic history! I love the carvings and the whole village looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. What a stunning building! Thank you for sharing. I love when I stumble across something impressive that I am not expecting at all in my wandering so. Things are not always what they seem.

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  18. Can you imagine how long all the hand carvings would have taken? Amazing. Thanks for the tour!

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  19. Goodness me, the building is stunning. I have really enjoyed my tour with you.
    Thank goodness this beautiful building and stonework has been preserved.

    All the best Jan

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    1. For some reason, I feel it's very important to preserve the art of those who lived before us. I'm not a worhsipper of the past, but I think it's like a base for us.

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  20. I somehow missed your last few posts, but I'm so glad I stopped by to take the tour with you today! I read the previous post to get me caught up to where you started today. I'm amazed that all these structures have survived all this time and it's wonderful that they're being preserved for future generations. I'd love to take a walk around myself to explore all the little walkways on a nice sunny WARM day! Thank you so much for braving the cold and wind to share all the photos and history with us, Magali!

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  21. How interesting and so beautiful. Such a neat story! Have a wonderful week.

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  22. I missed your last post too so I'll have to check it out! Its amazing that the buildings/structures have lasted so long. I felt that way when I went to Italy and was at the Colosseum. It was like you could feel there spirit hanging around. I know I'll never be to France but I feel I am through you. Thanks for sharing such beautiful architecture. PS...I love you just the way you are!

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  23. I've enjoyed my tour. So nice to be surrounded by history and architecture in such stunning surroundings. And thanks for doing all the climbing :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  24. You are a very good tour guide, and it doesn't matter to us if you re-cap what the tour guide told you. It's fascinating, regardless. I am thrilled that you shared this post with Best of the Weekend!

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  25. Oh, I enjoyed that Magali. And I would enjoy visiting it. It's amazing what is hidden on our doorsteps. And where would our heritage be without people like Prosper Mérimée and his equivalents? What a wonderful name, too!

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  26. que de merveilles transmises par l'architecture romane... j'adore cette période !!! les sculptures géométriques des chapiteaux de la crypte sont superbes
    merci pour cette visite !! monique59

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