Clairvaux Monastery

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Clairvaux Cistercian Abbey
Engraving from Clairvaux Abbey (18th century)
Engraving from Clairvaux Abbey (18th century)
location FranceFrance France
Region Grand Est
Lies in the diocese once Langres ; today Troyes
Coordinates: 48 ° 8 '50 "  N , 4 ° 47' 20"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 8 '50 "  N , 4 ° 47' 20"  E
Serial number
according to Janauschek 		4th
founding year 1115
Year of dissolution /
annulment 		1791
Mother monastery Citeaux monastery

Daughter monasteries

83 monasteries, list see article

Bernhard von Clairvaux , initial from the 13th century
Clairvaux Monastery, a penal institution until 2016
Plant plan

Clairvaux (from Latin Clara Vallis 'bright valley' ) is a former primary abbey of the Cistercian order and is located about 55 km east and 10 km south of Troyes in the valley of the Aube between the north-western foothills of the Langres plateau , 15 km upstream from the town of Bar-sur- Aube . Today it belongs to the municipality of Ville-sous-la-Ferté in the Aube department in the south of the Grand Est region .

history

The abbey was founded on June 25, 1115 by Bernhard von Clairvaux and twelve monks in what Bernhard called the clara vallis , a 'bright valley' previously known as the 'Wermuttal' ( Valle de l'absinthe ). It is one of the four primary abbeys (first daughter monasteries) of Cîteaux . Clairvaux was the starting point for an important filiation .

The Cistercian Abbey of Clairvaux was abolished in 1791 as a result of the French Revolution and from 1808 (until 2022) largely used as a prison. A museum is housed in the remaining parts of the building and is freely accessible.

Cultural charisma

In addition to the political, geostrategic and economic effects associated with the filiation of Clairvaux, the architecture developed and disseminated by the Clairvaux mother monastery is of particular importance. In general, the design and execution of monastic construction contracts were entrusted to the Terziaren ("lay brothers") of the respective monastery. The daughter monasteries of Clairvaux were not only linked to the mother monastery in theological terms, but also in the specific form of architectural design that all of Clairvaux's daughter monasteries have in common. The individual daughter monasteries were designed by master builders who had been sent there from the mother monastery. This can be seen in addition to the general adherence to a specific, Romanesque design of the exterior and interior, especially a detail within the ribbed vault . This is the special form of the cross-rib design that is common to the mother monastery of Clairvaux and all of its daughter monasteries. The design of the cross ribs was very variable in the Middle Ages and could take on the most varied of cross-sectional shapes. A special shape prevails in Clairvaux: the so-called box rib. It is a cross rib with a box-shaped or square cross-section. This can only be found in Clairvaux and its daughter monasteries. The other Cistercian monasteries (or the monasteries of other orders) preferred other rib shapes.

An important effect of this form fidelity is that it can be used to prove overlaps with secular construction operations. In general, the secular construction industry of the Middle Ages has been researched much less than the church. The sources in this area are usually much thinner than in the church area. In the case of the architecture in the territory of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen , it is possible to demonstrate this rib shape in numerous castles that were built there during his reign. This applies to Castel del Monte , for example , but also to many other castles. According to sources, it is documented that Frederick II requested Clairvaux 'Tertiaren from the Italian daughter monasteries, not only for the administration of his Sicilian kingdom , but also for the execution of the numerous building projects that he carried out in the early days of his imperial era (from 1220) in southern Italy commissioned. The use of this conspicuous rib shape, which is specifically associated with Clairvaux and its daughter monasteries, is an additional, obvious proof of the personal connection that existed between the monastery construction companies and the construction huts that built the imperial castles and forts.

Branch monasteries

Immediate daughter monasteries in France

Immediate subsidiary monasteries in Germany and Switzerland

Direct subsidiary monasteries in Belgium and the Netherlands

Immediate daughter monasteries in Italy

Immediate daughter monasteries in the British Isles

Immediate daughter monasteries in Portugal and Spain

Immediate daughter monasteries in Scandinavia

Immediate daughter monasteries in Hungary

people

The following people worked at Clairvaux Monastery:

See also

References and comments

  1. ↑ Gundolf Keil : "The best advice is the icker toe can against genomen vte platearise". References to Ypermans Medicine. In: Geneeskunde in nederlandstalige teksten tot 1600. Koninklijke Academie voor Geneeskunde van België, Brussels 2012 (2013), ISBN 978-90-75273-29-8 , pp. 93-137; here: p. 112.
  2. ↑ Alexander Brüggemann: From St. Bernard to "Carlos the Jackal" . kathisch.de, June 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ La Chaîne Info (LCI): La prison de Clairvaux va fermer en 2022. February 13, 2018, accessed on July 20, 2020 (French).
  4. ↑ See also Alexander Knaak: Prolegomena to a corpus work of the architecture of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in the Kingdom of Sicily. (1220-1250). Jonas-Verlag, Marburg 2001, ISBN 3-89445-278-1 , p. 24 ff. And especially p. 110 ff., (Tübingen, Universität, phil. Dissertation, 1998), on the influences of Clairvaux on Castel del Monte as well as the influences of the Clairvaux construction works on Frederician architecture in general.

Web links

Commons : Clairvaux Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files