Fleury Abbey

Under the name Fleury and Fleury Abbey, founded in 630-650 Benedictine Abbey of Saint- Benoît- sur -Loire and Saint -Benoît- de -Fleury was known. It is in the literature sometimes called Fleury sur Loire.

This monastery is located in the town of Saint- Benoît- sur -Loire at Sully -sur -Loire in the Loire Valley in France. It was especially in the Middle Ages famous for its monastery school, the Holy Odo had founded. Odo was 930-942 abbot of Fleury Abbey and made ​​it one of the most important centers of the Cluniac movement. 1798, the convent school was canceled again.

History

• To 520 Saint Benedict founded the monastery of Montecassino north of Naples, where he wrote the Rule for Monks and 547 died. 580 the monastery was destroyed by the Lombards, then the monks left the monastery and the remains of St. Benedict left behind in the rubble.
• Between 630 and 650 from Orléans founded the monastery, monks Fleury, one of the first religious communities of Gaul, who lived according to the Benedictine rule.
• In the year 672, the monks went from Fleury to Montecassino to recover the abandoned ruins in the relics of the saint and to transfer them to the banks of the Loire. That was the beginning of a worship, which contributed much to the spread of the Benedictine Rule in Western monasticism.
• In the 8th century the veneration of Saint Benedict at Fleury led to a change of Peter's patronage to patronage of the Order's founder Benedict. In the tympanum in the northern portal of the church, the removal of the relics of Benedict is shown from his actual grave at Montecassino. Both abbeys waged a decades-long debate over the true remains of the saint. They are now preserved in the crypt of the church.
• In 1020, the abbot Gauzlin began construction of a monumental tower, now the portal tower, which, as he himself said, " the whole of Gaul should serve as a model ". The tower is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.
• 1067 Abbot William the crypt containing the relics of St. Benedict and the Roman double choir and transept build that were not completed until 1108. The ship was built from 1150 in two sections. Finally, the monastery church was consecrated in 1218.
• Philip I (France) was buried according to his own will in 1108 in the monastery of Saint- Benoît- sur -Loire. The grave is still preserved in its origin, since the monastery was not looted during the French Revolution. It is the only remaining original King grave of a king of France.
• In the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu commendatory of Fleury.
• 1790, the congregation was dissolved during the French Revolution. The monastery buildings were destroyed, only the abbey church, which now served as a parish church, escaped this fate. The library stocks went largely to the city library Orléans.
• It was not until 1865 they began to build and re-open. But in 1903 forced the French religious laws, the monks to re- task the abbey. From 1865 to 1944, the monks of the monastery of La Pierre- Qui- Vire wont the tomb of St. Benedict. Then the monastic life could be resumed.

Architecture

The large, decorated with impressive sculptures and simple pilgrimage church of St. Benoit is one of the most famous Roman monuments in France.

Porch tower

The imposing, impressive for its massive construction porch tower ( narthex ) with its powerful and numerous pillars is unique in its kind on the ground floor share the four baseless piers of the central part of the space into nine equal-sized, towered over by cross vaults, connected together by transverse arches squares on. The east side, the other side was originally the same was changed in being part of the nave.

The building has magnificent sculptural decoration; noteworthy are particular with stylized plant motifs, animal figures and scenes richly decorated capitals. A special feature is the Corinthian capital left of the main entrance. About the abacus and the lion frieze it bears the inscription UNBERTUS ME FECIT ( Unbertus has made me ). The preferred location where it is, suggests that Unbertus was owner and master stone mason of the tower at the same time.

Choir

The choir began in 1062 the monastery church ( whose completion was not completed until 1218 ) represents one of the most remarkable testimonies of French Romanesque architecture dar. It includes two tiered altar rooms. Behind the main altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the first sanctuary rises the wall of the confession, which separates the church from the semi- subterranean crypt. The second, higher altitude sanctuary complements the architectural arrangement.

The ambulatory with the wreath of four chapels has the same layout as the underlying crypt. The the hl. Benedict consecrated altar is located just above the relics of the saint, which are stored in the center pillars of the crypt. The colonnade is surmounted by a blind arcade, which runs through both sanctuaries and joins them together. Under the barrel vault flows bright light through the large windows.

The capitals of dealing built around 1090th The sculptures are not as lofty as that of the Corinthian capitals of the portal tower. They show characters and scenes from the life of St. Benedict. The capitals of the ship from the late 12th century, however, are richly decorated and finely sculpted. The three sculpted ensembles from different eras.

The Choir Stalls of two artists from Orleans dates back to 1413. The railing was founded in 1637 by Cardinal Richelieu.

Longhouse

That in relation to the chancel simpler nave is Romanesque and is spanned by a Gothic arch, resting his groined the Romanesque capitals of the pillars of the nave. The transition of styles runs harmoniously considering the original proportions.

The gallery was established in 1704. The large shell is a purely decorative element. The 1983 restored organ has 35 registers and still includes nearly 500 pipes from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The beautiful marble floor in the choir is a Roman work from the 4th or 5th century, which was allowed to come in the 11th century Fleury for the decoration of the original church. The reclining figure represents Philip I dar.; the fourth king of the Capetian died 1108 and is buried in the choir.

The Basilica has an inside length of 73 m, a width of 17 m, the height of the dome is 24 m, 18 m of the sanctuary, and of the ship 20 m.

Crypt

The crypt houses the relics of St.. Benedict, who are worshiped here. The connection to the upper church is highlighted by nine openings in the wall that separates the crypt of the church. Through these openings the relics of saints were venerated.

The medieval reliquary is gone, but the monumental pillars, which contained him, get virtually unchanged. He makes the bones of St.. Benedict to the center of the building, the foundation stone of the ensemble that rests on him, in which everything flows together. The double ambulatory and the vault of the crypt are wider to the outside.

North portal

The north aisle is pierced by a Gothic portal, which was long the main entrance to the faithful. Built in the late 12th century portal was restored in 1996. Christ as a teacher dominates the tympanum. He is surrounded by the four Evangelists and their symbols. Angels and apostles decorate the arch runs. The lintel shows a triptych in the top of the relics of St. Benedict of Monte Cassino to Fleury. Among them are six columns statues noteworthy that represent the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament. This lower part of the portal therefore represents figures from the Old Testament, upon which the New Testament.

On the back of the lintel in the interior decorative sculptures discovered during the restoration of the approach. On the same horizontal plane, the Mother of God, the blessing Child on her lap holding, as well as two sets of four apostles are represented on nine sheets. This unfinished Romanesque work probably dates from the mid 12th century.