Mon, Dec 23, 1:19 AM CST

Abbaye de Senanque/ Senanque Abbey

Photography Landscape posted on Aug 20, 2009
Open full image in new tab Zoom on image
Close

Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.


Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.

Description


Anyone who visits the Provence has to take a look at the Senanque Abbey. So we did too and we were not the only ones who did at the same day :-) From Wikipedia: Sénanque Abbey (Occitan: abadiá de Senhanca, French: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque) is a Cistercian abbey near the village of Gordes in the département of the Vaucluse in Provence, France. First foundation It was founded in 1148 under the patronage of Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona, Count of Provence, by Cistercian monks who came from Mazan Abbey in the Ardèche. Temporary huts housed the first community of impoverished monks. By 1152 the community already had so many members that Sénanque was able to found Chambons Abbey, in the diocese of Viviers. Apse of the abbey church The young community found patrons in the seigneurs of Simiane, whose support enabled them to build the abbey church, consecrated in 1178. Other structures at Sénanque followed, laid out according to the rule of Cîteaux Abbey, mother house of the Cistercians. Among its existing structures, famed examples of Romanesque architecture, are the abbey church, cloister, dormitory, chapterhouse and the small calefactory, the one heated space in the austere surroundings, so that the monks could write, for this was their scriptorium. A refectory was added in the 17th century, when some minimal rebuilding of existing walls was undertaken, but the abbey is a remarkably untouched survival, of rare beauty and severity: the capitals of the paired columns in the cloister arcades are reduced to the simplest leaf forms, not to offer sensual distraction. The abbey church is in the form of a tau cross with an apse projecting beyond the abbey's outer walls. Somewhat unusually, its liturgical east end faces north, as the narrow and secluded valley offered no space for the conventional arrangement. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Sénanque reached its apogee, operating four mills, seven granges and possessing large estates in Provence. In 1509, when the first abbot in commendam was named, a sure sign of the decline of vocation, the community at Sénanque had shrunk to about a dozen. During the Wars of Religion the quarters for the lay brothers were destroyed and the abbey was ransacked by Huguenots. At the French Revolution the abbey's lands were nationalized, the one remaining monk was expelled and Sénanque itself was sold to a private individual. Second foundation The inner cloister of the abbey The site was repurchased in 1854 for a new community of Cistercian monks of the Immaculate Conception, under a rule less stringent than that of the Trappists. The community was expelled in 1903 and departed to the Order's headquarters, Lérins Abbey on the island of St. Honorat, near Cannes. A small community returned in 1988 as a priory of Lérins. The monks who live at Sénanque grow lavender (visible in front of the abbey, illustration, right) and tend honey bees for their livelihood. It is possible for individuals to arrange to stay at the abbey for spiritual retreat. Two other early Cistercian abbeys in Provence are Silvacane Abbey and Le Thoronet Abbey; with Sénanque, they are sometimes referred to as the "Three Sisters of Provence" ("les trois soeurs provençales").

Comments (8)


)

Garlor

11:44AM | Thu, 20 August 2009

A way of life as rare as the devotion it requires, neat view and history.

)

kgb224

12:41PM | Thu, 20 August 2009

Wonderful capture my friend.

)

sandra46

1:03PM | Thu, 20 August 2009

superlative shot and thanks for the info. very interesting!

)

durleybeachbum

1:55PM | Thu, 20 August 2009

So interesting. Looks a lovely place for a retreat.

)

helanker

2:22PM | Thu, 20 August 2009

Excellent capture of a beautiful castle.

MrsLubner

7:14PM | Thu, 20 August 2009

Wonderful information and a stunning view of this very well preserved abbey

)

flavia49

6:32PM | Fri, 21 August 2009

excellent shot and infos!!

)

Cosme..D..Churruca

1:13PM | Tue, 01 September 2009

so interesting, very fine.


1 49 0

01
Days
:
22
Hrs
:
39
Mins
:
52
Secs
Premier Release Product
dforce - Comfy Sleepshirt - G8 G9
3D Models
Top-Selling Vendor Sale Item
$13.95 USD 50% Off
$6.98 USD

Privacy Notice

This site uses cookies to deliver the best experience. Our own cookies make user accounts and other features possible. Third-party cookies are used to display relevant ads and to analyze how Renderosity is used. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Terms of Service, including our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy.