Mont-Saint-Michel (abbey)
Mont-Saint-Michel is a former abbey of Benedictine in France . It is located on the monastery island of the same name in the Normandy region in the Manche department in the municipality of Le Mont-Saint-Michel , southwest of Avranches .
The buildings of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel were built around the same time as the Gothic cathedrals and were repeatedly changed. It was one of the most extensive, difficult and costly construction projects of the entire Middle Ages .
The mountain is visited by around 3.5 million people every year. The buildings on Mont-Saint-Michel are part of Europe's cultural heritage. Both the Klosterberg and the surrounding bay have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1979 .
history
In the year 708, in a dream, Archangel Michael asked Bishop Aubert von Avranches to build a church for him, which he initiated after some hesitation. In order to get the necessary relics, emissaries were sent to Monte Gargano , the most important Michaels monastery in Italy. At first only a simple building was built, of which only the remains of a granite wall in the 10th century church Notre-Dame-sous-Terre have survived. In 966, the monks who had previously been responsible for the mountain and its relics were replaced by 30 Benedictines from the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille . From now on things slowly improved with the monastery; Around the year 996 the wedding between the Norman Duke Richard II and Judith de Bretagne was celebrated here.
In the 11th century, work began on the new building, the work of which was supposed to take over 500 years and was not interrupted during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) - during this time the mountain and abbey were converted into a fortress structure to withstand Protestant attacks during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) withstood. The west facade of the abbey church was not even renewed until the end of the 18th century.
The abbey was dissolved during the French Revolution . The abbey buildings were used as a prison - especially for political prisoners - until the middle of the 19th century . A few monks have only been living here again since the mid-1960s.
The building history of the abbey, d. H. the temporal and spatial allocation of the components is extremely complex (Claude Quétel speaks of a “nested building conglomerate”). There are several reasons for this: 1. the huge and daring building project itself; 2. the long construction period; 3. the sloping terrain; 4. the previous buildings to be considered; 5. Plan changes as a result of structural damage or collapses and 6. The never-ending funds (foundations, donations and pilgrimage gifts).
Since 1966, the year of the millennium of the Benedictine Abbey of Mont, there have been religious here again. They were given accommodation in the abbot building to the south, but the entire monastery complex remained in state hands. Brothers and sisters of the communities of Jerusalem live in the monastery.
architecture
The monastery buildings on the Mont-Saint-Michel - built in styles of the Romanesque , Gothic and Classicism - were called merveille (“miracles”) as early as the Middle Ages , as hardly anyone could imagine how one would be on top of a mountain was able to plan and build such a huge building complex on three levels.
Granite was used for almost all of the buildings on the Klosterberg, which was quarried on smaller, neighboring rocky islands ( Îles Chausey ), where it was roughly worked and brought in by means of rafts, boats and barges; the fine work was done on site. However, fine sculptures could not be made from the extremely weather-resistant granite, which is why the entire building lacks pictorial jewelry. Only some of the components in the choir of the abbey church and in the cloister - protected from salty rain and wind - are made of the lighter and finer-worked limestone from the area around Caen , which also had to be transported.
Abbey building (upper level)
Abbey church
Work on the originally seven-bay (now only four) church (French: l'abbatiale = "abbey church") began in 1023, and in 1084 the early Romanesque church with its three-storey wall elevation ( arcades , galleries , window zone ) was completed; it is therefore one of the earliest buildings of Norman sacred architecture in France. Probably for structural reasons, the nave was only designed with a simple wooden beam - perhaps with a suspended ceiling (today's wooden vault dates from the 19th century). The choir and transept of the Romanesque building were architecturally emphasized by stone barrel vaults ; the aisles had groin vaults throughout . The dominant component of the sacred building was a towering - possibly originally open to the church interior - crossing tower ( lantern tower ), which collapsed in 1103 and damaged parts of the north aisle. The tower and nave wall were rebuilt within a short time and in a similar manner; Smaller differences between the north and south walls can be seen, however: the yokes on the south side are each framed by a large blind arch that extends over the upper windows ; the reveals of the window arches in the upper storey on the north side are bevelled for better exposure. The crossing was reinforced by mighty bundle pillars and stabilized with a rib vault .
It is unclear whether the Romanesque choir showed structural damage in the 15th century or even collapsed, or whether it was - as in many other cases - intentionally replaced by a new building (1446–1521) in the late Gothic style. In any case, the choir of the abbey church - built from light limestone on the inside and granite on the outside - with its illuminated triforium is one of the most beautiful in Normandy, indeed in all of France.
After a lightning strike in 1776, perhaps even earlier, the former two-tower west facade, whose medieval appearance (apart from the illumination in the Duke of Berry's book of hours) is little known, showed cracks, so - in the Age of Enlightenment - the three western nave bays including the two-tower facade torn down and not rebuilt. Instead, the church in the west was closed with a towerless and - due to the lack of any decoration - austere facade in the classical style . Today's forecourt of the church is three times as large as it was in the Middle Ages.
(Dormitory)
The medieval dormitory of the monks adjoined the abbey church immediately to the northwest. It was not - as can still be seen in many cases - connected to the church via a direct access (stairs); Instead, the monks had to cross a small courtyard to enter the church through a small portal in the north aisle. The dormitory had not been used since the 16th or 17th century and was largely destroyed when the western church yokes were demolished. The remaining remains serve today as a sacristy, which is not accessible to visitors.
refectory
The monk's refectory , built in the 13th century above the guest room on the north side of the church, is one of the many architectural highlights of the abbey. It has over 50 windows, of which only the two are visible in the east wall when entering the room - all the others are hidden in the depths of the side walls, which look like a narrow, almost infinite arcade gallery. One can assume that this extraordinary solution was chosen less for aesthetic reasons, but primarily to stabilize the outer walls against wind pressure . None of the windows of the refectory have tracery panels in the arch area - this decorative element was reserved for sacred buildings (churches and castle chapels) for a long time. In one of the arches on the south side there is a raised seat from which a confrere read to the monks during meals. The - non-heatable - about 10 meters wide and 30 meters long room without central supports never had a stone vault, but always only a wooden beam; During the extensive restoration of the 19th century, it was spanned with a wooden vault held together by tie rods . The acoustics are exceptionally good, which is why the room is also used for concert events.
The abbey kitchen adjoins the refectory immediately to the south. Its two chimneys - which look like round towers - can be seen from the cloister; Another tower with a pointed helmet has a spiral staircase inside and serves as a staircase to the roof.
Cloister
The slightly trapezoidal cloister erected in the years 1225–1228 above the knight's hall is also one of the wondrous architectural gadgets of the monastery. The slender (double) pillars are staggered - instead of side by side or opposite one another; Visually, this results in three-dimensional, deeply staggered, overlapping arches: a typically Norman architectural decor, adopted from the Islamic Norman architecture of Sicily, which can be found on many sacred buildings in Normandy and in England, but has been reinterpreted in a unique way. The limestone arches are richly decorated with figurative and vegetable representations.
Very few columns in the cloister are still original; most were replaced as part of a major restoration in the 19th century. For structural reasons, the entire cloister is only covered with a wooden vault.
(Archive)
In a small building - inaccessible to visitors - in the northwest corner of the cloister is now the abbey's archive ( chartrier ), in which documents on the history of the abbey as well as deeds of ownership are kept.
(Chapter house)
In the west of the cloister the chapter house was supposed to adjoin, but its substructures were never built. A portal leading into the void - but closed by safety glass - with side windows still reminds of this plan idea. The meetings of the monks, usually held in a chapter house, on predominantly secular issues (administration of funds, construction planning, division of work, admission of novices, etc.) therefore had to take place in other rooms of the abbey.
Abbey building (middle level)
Changing room of the monks
The so-called changing room of the monks comes from the late 11th century and was probably originally used as a simple cloister. However , it is rather unlikely that the five monolithic central pillars and the resting rib vault belong to the original structure. If so, the vault (along with Durham , Speyer and possibly Lessay ) would be one of the earliest known rib vaults of the Middle Ages. The north side of the room has several small window openings with sloping soffits for better exposure. Above was the former dormitory.
Chapel of 30 Candles
To the east of the monks' changing hall, under the north arm of the abbey church, is the "Chapel of 30 Candles", a simple building from the 11th century in early Romanesque forms.
Notre-Dame-sous-Terre
The simple old monastery church from the 10th century did not really fit into the plan concept of the new building, but could not be demolished during the construction work because of its function as a church. Therefore it is located between the middle and the lower level. After the completion of the new abbey church, the entire room was filled in and only rediscovered and cleared in the 19th century. Today's room is divided into two naves by mighty central pillars, each with an altar at the eastern end.
St. Martin's Chapel
The single-nave and completely unadorned early Romanesque chapel was built in the 11th century and is located under the southern transept of the abbey church. The small east window behind the altar allows only sparse light into the room due to subsequent construction work.
Pedal bike and inclined lift
The medieval inclined elevator was indispensable for the construction of the “Merveille”, on which the building materials (stones, mortar, wood, slate, iron, lead, etc.), but also tools and furniture from the foot of the mountain, were carried on a wooden sled that ran on rollers was pulled up. Today's pedal bike dates from the early 19th century and is connected to the sled of the inclined elevator by a cable winch. It is not known whether there was a similar balance bike in the Middle Ages (which is likely) or whether the heavy loads were pulled up the slope by many men using ropes and muscle power.
Crypt of thick pillars
The late Gothic lower church, begun in 1446 (and rarely used because of the prevailing darkness), with its mighty round pillars without capitals - but with beautifully profiled late Gothic vault ribs that seem to grow out of the pillars like branches - bears the weight of the late Gothic above but much more finely crafted choirs of the abbey church.
cistern
Behind the choir of the lower church there is a cistern for storing rainwater that was diverted here from the roofs of the choir and the abbey church. Sufficient rain falls in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, but it was not available without a cistern on the mountain top. Driving a well through the hard rock was far too expensive; besides, one could only have brought to light saline water.
Knight hall
The so-called knight's hall from the early 13th century is probably the former scriptorium of the monastery. Due to the invention of letterpress printing at the end of the Middle Ages, the large (26 × 18 meters) room with its two large wall chimneys, divided into four by three rows of columns and provided with a beautiful ribbed vault, actually served later as a representative chapter or reception room. The cloister is located above the knight's hall.
Guest room
To the east of the knight's hall and above the alms hall is the 35-meter-long guest room, divided into two naves by six slender columns, with two large chimneys in the south wall and a beautiful ribbed vault. On the occasion of the banquets taking place here, the hall was divided into two parts by a carpet curtain: one part served as a kitchen, the other as a dining room.
Abbey building (lower level)
The original functions of the rooms in the basement are largely unclear. However, it can be assumed that all the necessary facilities of a monastery were housed here in the first construction phase: chapter house, walkway, dormitory and refectory. After the completion of the upper levels, the rooms in the basement were used for other purposes.
Aquilon crypt
The very simple - subjected with powerful transverse arches - groin vault named after the god of the north wind Aquilon - crypt date back to the early 11th century and resting on thick monolithic columns with beautiful capitals. The room was used as a hospital ward for a long time. Above is the monks' changing room.
Alms room
The alms room, also with two aisles, served for centuries as a dining and sleeping room for the pilgrims who arrived almost daily - and often enough with their last bit of strength - among whom there may have been beggars. These were looked after by assistants (mostly conversations ) from the monastery. Above the alms room with brick columns and a groin vault is the guest room.
Storage cellar
Every medieval abbey needed a storage room ( cellier ) for regularly needed and durable supplies of all kinds (wine, flour, oil, cheese, butter, dried fruits, dried fish, etc.). It is also possible that root vegetables (carrots, celery, salsify, etc.) were stored in crates filled with earth over the winter. The supplies were mostly delivered by the farmers and fishermen in the surrounding area and pulled up through a large window in the north face of the "Merveille". Immediately next to it were the abbey gardens, which were run with poured earth, but were only really used and cared for in medieval times - on the north side and in the shadow of the huge monastery building, the yields were simply too low.
The simple, but three-aisled storage room has square brick pillars on which solid groin vaults rest. The knight's hall is located above the storage cellar.
Furnishing
After the looting and destruction during the French Revolution, little has been preserved from the abbey's rich furnishings. The above-mentioned rooms are largely without furniture or wall hangings. Some of the resulting reliefs in 1547, made of limestone Renaissance - rood screen , however, have stood the test of time.
organ
The organ of the abbey church was built in 1965 by the Beuchet-Debièrre company in the south arm of the transept. It has 23 registers , divided into two manuals and a pedal . The purely electrical instrument has the following disposition .
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
meaning
The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the largest preserved architectural complexes of the European Middle Ages and undoubtedly one of the most famous and most visited monuments in the world. The buildings of the monastery hill provide an insight into the complexity of tasks of a medieval abbey, which is otherwise only possible in France - due to the various destruction during and after the revolution - in the former Cistercian monastery of Fontenay ( Burgundy ).
Order of knights
The French kings Louis IX also belonged to the Mont-Saint-Michel pilgrims . (the saint), Philip IV (the handsome), Louis XI. , Franz I. , Karl VIII. And Karl IX. King Louis XI. Founded the Order of St. Michael ( Ordre de Saint-Michel ) in 1469 and designated the monastery mountain as the seat of the order, but - due to its remote location - the members of the order never met there.
The Order of Michael was in competition with other European knightly orders , especially the English Order of the Garter and the Burgundian (later Habsburg) Order of the Golden Fleece , but could never achieve their importance and was dissolved in 1830.
See also
Movies
- Mont Saint Michel: the enigmatic labyrinth. France 2017. Shown in “ Arte ”, June 20, 2020, 8:15 pm - 9:45 pm. (Construction phases, use).
literature
- Jacques Cailleteau (ed.): Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Histoire & Imaginaire; Caisse nationale des monuments historiques et des sites. Editions du patrimoine, Paris 1998, ISBN 2-85822-223-1 .
- Claude Quétel (text), Jean Bernard (photos): The Mont-Saint-Michel. Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1964-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 48 ° 38 ′ 9 ″ N , 1 ° 30 ′ 41 ″ W.