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Cathedral and Abbey Page Links for
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Links to pages about the Medieval Christian Church
Paradoxplace pages relating to the Medieval Christian Church
Some Early Medieval French (and other) Saints, Kings and Queens
The Cistercian Order - History
French Cistercian Abbeys
(marked below with an * asterisk)
Île de France, Picardie, Nord Pas de Calais, Normandie, Bretagne, Centre Val de Loire, Pays de Loire
Bourgogne, Franche Comté, Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne Ardennes
Poitou Charentes, Limousin, Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrenées, Auvergne
Languedoc Roussillon, Rhône Alpes, Pyrenées Atlantiques, Cote d'Azure
Île de France, Picardie, Nord pas de Calais, Normandie, Bretagne, Centre Val de Loire, Pays de Loire
La Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris
Basilique St-Germain des Prés (Paris)
Basilique St-Denis
La Trappe Abbey *
Inaccessible "head office" of the Cistercian Trappists (they of the strict observance) in Normandy. The only time you'll get to see anything other than the gate and smelly gift shop is at Sunday morning mass.
San Benoît-sur-Loire (Fleury Abbey)
Germigny-des-Près (Carolingian Oratory)
La Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres
Located to the west of Paris, Chartres is the most medievally complete of the great gothic abbey church / cathedrals of Europe - worth spending at least a day following the sun around the "poor man's bible" narrative stained glass windows, and popping out occasionally to inspect the three great three-door portals.
Église St-Genest, Lavardin (Loir Valley)
Église St-Jacques des Guérets (Loir Valley)
Cathédrale St-Julien, Le Mans
Royal Abbey of l'Épau, Le Mans *
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
Burial place of Eleanor of Aquitaine, her second husband - the Plantagenet King Henry II - and son King Richard I.
Cathédrale St-Maurice, Angers
Cathédrale St-Gatien, Tours
Noirlac Abbey *
Beautifully restored Cistercian Abbey, cloister, chapter house, unusual two storey refectory etc in the classically simple Cistercian Romanesque style located in central France. Now a very accessible museum, 9 hours a day, 7 days a week, and also used for concerts etc
Sept Fons Abbey *
Energized, friendly and youthful 50 strong Cistercian monastic community in uncistercian architectural surroundings.
Bourgogne, Franche Comté, Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne Ardennes
La Cathédrale Notre Dame de Reims (Champagne)
On the site where Pepin was baptized (maybe), dozens of French Kings were crowned, and in the city wiped out by German artillery in WW I and where they surrendered to end WW II.
Basilique St-Remi (Reims, Champagne)
Huge Romanesque Abbey Church on the outskirts of central Reims
Vignory, Church of Saint Etienne (Champagne)
If you want to see an unusually original and extremely old church, on the medieval Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome but right away from the touring circuit, then Vignory is one option. The nave, apse and ambulatory of L'Eglise Saint-Etienne de Vignory (just north of Chaumont in Champagne) are essentially the same as when they were built in the mid 1000s.
Basilique Ste-Madeleine, Vézelay (Burgundy)
Benedictine abbey and major pilgrimage centre, now in the care of the the Fraternité Monastique de Jérusalem. Maybe the greatest of Romanesque spaces, filled with light and narrative sculptures.
Salieu - Basilica of Saint Andoche (Burgundy)
The old Abbey Church, now Basilica of Saint Andoche, has been beautifully restored over the past six years and has more West Burgundian narrative capitals ... this time with tasteful modern lighting available.
Avallon - Eglise St-Lazare
Old much altered Clunaic Priory church which used to have a bit of Lazarus' skull, and now has an old set of carved Zodiac signs over the porch.
Autun, Cathédrale St-Lazare (Burgundy) & Musée Rolin
The Cathedral dates back to the 1100s, and includes a magnificent medieval tympanum and other narrative sculptures which are amongst the best preserved examples of their genres in existence.
Abbey of Cluny (Burgundy)
One tower remainder and reminder of the the first internationally powerful abbey of the early middle ages, north of Macon.
The 5 Foundation Cistercian Abbeys *
Citeaux, Pontigny, Clairvaux, Morimond and La Ferté (all in Burgundy)
Abbey of Citeaux *
Just down the road from Nuits St-Georges and where the Cistercians started. Now note of the forest and only a bit of one of the old abbey buildings left, and the Cistercians who have reinhabitated the place make even that difficult to visit.
Abbey Church of Pontigny *
The only foundation Cistercian abbey church still there.
Morimond Abbey *
Foundation Cistercian abbey, now just a ruined arch in a peaceful meadow.
Abbey of Fontenay *
Classic Cistercian abbey and monastery in a beautiful setting. Now a museum.
Poitou Charentes, Limousin, Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrenées, Auvergne
Notre Dame la Grande, Poitiers
Cathédrale St-Pierre, Poitiers
Baptistère St-Jean, Poitiers
L'Église Ste-Radegonde, Poitiers
L'Église St-Hilaire, Poitiers
Abbaye St-Savin-sur-Gartempe
Église St-Nicholas, Civray
Église St-Pierre, Aulnay
Cathédrale St-Front, Périgueux
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Bazas
Église St-Saveur, St-Macaire
Abbaye St-Pierre de Moissac
Home to the oldest cloister in Europe and, most importantly, the iconic Romanesque trumeau statue of the Prophet Jeremiah.
Villeneuve d'Aveyron
Wall paintings of medieval pilgrims in the old part of the bastide monastery church.
Carthusian Hospital Monastery of Saint Saveur, Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Notre Dame de Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Closed to visitors October 1 to June 30
Rare set of in situ misericords
Cathédrale Ste-Foy de Conques
Magic old pilgrimage centre tucked away on the side of the steep Dordou valley just under the Auvergne.
Église de Perse (Espalion)
Besuéjouls (pilgrims' church near Espalion)
St-Côme d'Olt
Aubrac
Old monastery and hospice church on the freezing plain of Aubrac.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Puy
Plus a ground view of Bishop Godescalk's Chapelle St-Michel-d'Aiguilhe - perched 82M (270 ft) in the sky and accessible via 268 steps which we did not take.
Basilique St-Juien, Brioude
Languedoc Roussillon, Rhône Alpes, Pyrenées Atlantiques, Cote d'Azure
Fontfroide Abbey *
Valmagne Abbey *
Senanque Abbey *
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