Moissac Abbey

Moissac Abbey was a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne. A number of its medieval buildings survive, including the abbey church, which has a famous and important Romanesque sculpture around the entrance.

History

According to legend, Moissac Abbey was founded by the Frankish king Clovis in 506. Historical records however indicate that it was founded by Saint Didier, bishop of Cahors, in the middle of the 7th century.

The establishment of the monastery was difficult because of raids by Moors from the south and west and the Norsemen from the north. In 1030, the roof collapsed from lack of maintenance, and in 1042, there was a serious fire. A new church building was added in 1063 along with significant restoration works. Pope Urban II visited in 1097 and consecrated the high altar. He also ordered the construction of the cloister, completed in 1100.

The 11th and 12th centuries were the first golden age, as Moissac was affiliated to the abbey of Cluny and accepted the Cluniac Reforms. Papal support, its location on the pilgrim road, the restoration of the buildings and the reforms of de Bredon made the abbey one of the most powerful in France. In the 12th century, the abbot of Moissac was second in seniority within the Cluniac hierarchy only to the abbot of Cluny himself.

Illuminated manuscripts produced in the monastery's scriptorium were taken to Paris in the 17th century and are now in the Bibliothèque Nationale.

The 15th century ushered in a new golden age under the rule of abbots Pierre and Antoine de Caraman, whose building programme included in particular the Gothic part of the abbey church. The 1626 secularization of the abbey caused the Benedictine monks to leave the cloister, which had been a centre of Benedictine life for nearly 1,000 years. They were replaced by Augustinian canons, under commendatory abbots including well-known cardinals such as Mazarin and de Brienne.

In 1793, the French Revolution put an end to monastic life in Moissac. The abbey church of St Pierre is relatively intact and is still an active church, but the outlying buildings have suffered considerably. In the middle of the 19th century, the laying of a railway track threatened the cloister, but it was saved (though the refectory was demolished to facilitate the railway cutting) and listed as a historic monument. Since 1998, the church and cloisters have had international protection as part of a World Heritage Site, 'Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France'.

Architecture

Architectural features of interest include the church's south-west portico, a crenellated structure with sculpture that is a major masterpiece of Romanesque art. This reflected an expansion of image carving both in scope and size and extended the use of sculpture from the sanctuary to the public exterior.

The tympanum depicts the Apocalypse of the Book of Revelation. Supporting the tympanum, a trumeau features a statue of the Prophet Isaiah, an outstanding example of Romanesque sculpture, comparable to the work at Santo Domingo de Silos. The cloisters also feature Romanesque sculpture.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Place Roger Delthil 9, Moissac, France

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)