Sunday, April 24 Cluny

 Cluny is on Larry and Joann's list of "must-see" locations. After consulting the weather (which is supposed to be rainy and cold around Commarin), we think Cluny might escape the rain, so we packed our lunches and headed south, hoping to stay dry. The route is toll road (A6) most of the way, so we arrived 1.5 hours after setting out from Solle (our hamlet near Commarin). 

With some advice from the tourist bureau. we began our visit by making our way to a small park where benches provided seating for lunch. On the way there, we were struck by the war memorial inserted into the wall. 

The inscription on this memorial says: "Cluny and the region to their war dead 1939-1945" and along the right side, "The victory of August 1, 1944, gave us hope and liberty." 

Janis, Clark, & Dave eating lunch - our first picnic

The abbey on the site of the villa Cluny first took shape in 910 AD, a gift from William the Pious, Duke of Mâcon. The clerical reforms begun by Charlemagne were unraveling, the empire in decline. Norman invasions created an unsettled climate. Monasteries were being run by seculars and were straying from the Benedictine rule of prayer, simple living, and silence. Monastic life was disorganized. 

Through the guidance of several excellent abbots, Cluny became a model of monastic life. Over the next 300 years, Cluny's influence spread across France and Europe. Cluny became the mother house of over 1000 monasteries, spreading not only its religious reforms, but also influencing the architecture of churches and monasteries across Europe. 

Cluny itself underwent many changes over these years. A first modest church was replaced by a larger abbey church and finally, in 1088, construction was begun on the "maior ecclesia," the largest cathedral in the world at the time of its construction.

The few parts of the transept that remain hint at the expanse that was this third cathedral. The remaining towers rise 100 feet, the highest vaults ever constructed in the Romanesque style. The nave was longer than any gothic cathedral. The only church that was longer, was St. Peter's in Rome, built several hundred years later. 

Inside the south transept, 30 meters high

South transept, the only remaining part of the church

South Transept

The monastic grounds were surrounded by a wall separating the monks from the rest of the town. These churches and monastic buildings became models for buildings in many other cities. 

Le Farinier (the grain house) is the only medieval building left. It was used to store food, including grain. 

The wall once surrounded the abbey grounds, separating town from monastery

Cloister

We stumbled on a concert/program on medieval instruments - too much talk in French and not enough music, we left after a half hour.

By the 15th century, Cluny was in decline, as was its influence. Further reformations occurred periodically until the mid-18th century. Nevertheless, buildings were often looted and damaged. During the French Revolution, the abbey was nationalized and eventually sold to a private owner who sold off the buildings as part of a stone quarry. Little remains today of the medieval glory that was Cluny. It requires vision and imagination to make sense of what's left. Nevertheless, the site is incredibly interesting. And Cluny has done a fantastic job of creating multi-media displays that help fill in the missing pieces of Cluny's history. 

We left at 4:30 to make our way home. Today is Joann's birthday, so we're having pork tenderloin for dinner and raspberry tarts for Joann's birthday dessert (her choice). After a lively dinner sharing stories of the day over several bottles of wine, we stumbled off to bed.