Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu

Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu
Religion
AffiliationCatholicism
ProvinceAuvergne
RegionHaute-Loire
Location
CountryFrance
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu
Shown within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu is located in Auvergne
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (Auvergne)
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu is located in France
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu
Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (France)
AdministrationAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Geographic coordinates45°19′15″N 3°41′46″E / 45.3208°N 3.6961°E / 45.3208; 3.6961
Architecture
StyleGothic

The Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, in Auvergne (La Chasa-Dieu in Occitan), is a former Benedictine abbey, headquarters of the Casadean order, located in the commune of La Chaise-Dieu in the department of Haute-Loire.

The origin of the name is the Latin phrase Casa Dei (The House of God), hence the adjective "Casadean." The Benedictine abbey is renowned for its Gothic architecture, its rich library, its workshop for liturgical books, its Danse Macabre, its curious Hall of Echoes, its choir tapestry composed of twelve Flemish tapestries, and its music festival founded in 1966 by György Cziffra.

History

The Benedictine abbey, which gave its name (derived by analogical assonance from medieval Latin Casadei) to a portion of the Auvergne plateau, was founded in 1043 by Robert de Turlande, a hermit, Étienne de Chaliers, and a certain Delmas along with his disciples who arrived promptly.[1] Robert de Turlande obtained both the protection of the Holy See and a diploma from the King of the Franks, Henry I, dated September 20, 1052, confirming its elevation to an abbey.[2]

On August 18, 1095, Pope Urban II visited the abbey and proceeded with the dedication of the abbey church in honor of Saint Vital of Bologna and his master Saint Agricola, as confirmed by a papal bull dated September 7 at Saint-Gilles.[3]

A real growth began in the 14th century. In May 1342, Pierre Rogier, one of the monks of La Chaise-Dieu, became pope in Avignon under the name Clement VI.[4] It was he who financed the demolition of the old Romanesque church and the construction of the new abbey church in which he would be buried. He enlisted the three greatest architects of the time: Hugues Morel, Pierre de Cébazat [fr], and Pierre Falciat. The abbey church was completed in 1378, during the pontificate of Pope Gregory XI, who was Clement VI's own nephew.[5]

Architecture

The abbey church of Saint-Robert was built from 1344 to 1352 in the Gothic style, at the behest of Pope Clement VI to house his tomb.[6]

The abbey church replaces the old Romanesque building at the foot of which Saint Robert de Turlande, founder of the abbey, had been buried.[7]

Larger and more spacious, the new abbey church belongs to the period of Rayonnant Gothic, embodying a version marked by great austerity. It is often considered a work of Southern Gothic, although its significance extends well beyond this regional context. The building has been classified as a historical monument since 1840.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "28 décembre 1043 - Robert de Turlande fonde l'abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu - Herodote.net". www.herodote.net. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  2. ^ Jean-Pierre (2018-10-09). "L'histoire: St-Robert de Turlande". Les Amis de Turlande (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  3. ^ Crozet, René (1937). "Le voyage d'Urbain II en France (1095-1096) et son importance du point de vue archéologique". Annales du Midi. 49 (193): 42–69. doi:10.3406/anami.1937.5357.
  4. ^ "Le pape Clément VI". Abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  5. ^ "Une histoire millénaire". Abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  6. ^ Peylet-Costantini, Frédérique-Anne (1997). "Un chantier de la papauté d'Avignon. L'abbatiale Saint-Robert de la Chaise-Dieu (1344-1352) d'après la comptabilité pontificale conservée aux Archives du Vatican". Annuaires de l'École pratique des hautes études. 128 (11): 281–284. doi:10.3406/ephe.1997.13672.
  7. ^ Gazette des beaux-arts (in French). Gazette des beaux-arts. 1887. p. 443.
  8. ^ Base Mérimée: Église abbatiale Saint-Robert, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

External links

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