Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons

Saint- Médard was a Benedictine monastery in Soissons in northern France.

History

The abbey was founded in 557 by the Frankish king Clotaire I.. He let the bones hl. Medardus transferred to Soissons and start over the grave of the saint with the construction of a large church, while the grave itself was initially protected by a wooden mausoleum. Even before the completion of the church died Chlothar, and it was his son Sigebert was able to complete and decorate the church. Both Merovingian builders were in this church - " in basilicam " - before Medardusgrab - " ante tumulum " - buried. The Frankish king Chilperic I. language written around 575 a Latin hymn to the Holy Medardus, which has been preserved in a single manuscript.

Even under the Carolingians retained the abbey a prominent position. 751 Here was the last Merovingian Childeric III. shorn. In Saint- Médard found on 13 November 833 instead of Lothar I commanded and led by Archbishop Ebo of Rheims church meeting, the Emperor Louis the Pious deposed for the second time. Ludwig was forced to read a previously- translated confession to remove his arms to attract a hair shirt, to renounce the world and the throne to declare himself unworthy.

Laienäbte of Saint- Médard were, inter alia, the Carolingian

Carloman, 860-870, son of Charles the Bald
Heribert II, 907-943, Count of Vermandois
Heribert the old man, 946-980/984, whose son, Count of Meaux and Count of Troyes

Destroyed by the Normans and the Magyars, Saint- Médard was rebuilt in the 11th century. In the Huguenot wars, the abbey was destroyed in 1567, renewed since 1630 partially and finally settled in 1793, down to the crypt.

From the scriptorium of the monastery dates the " Évangéliaire de Saint- Médard de Soissons " ( Gospel Book of Saint- Médard ), a manuscript that was made in the last years of Charlemagne in the Palatinate school in Aachen. It is because of the expense, which was operated for its production, and the extent of composition (for example, the size of the Evangelists painted ) and the quality of its variegation of the most representative examples of Carolingian book illumination at the beginning of the 9th century.

Otto von Corvin writes in his church critical " Pfaff mirror ", the monastery was a kind of " factory of false documents " have been with which the church had failed to prove existing property rights: " The monk Guernon confessed on his deathbed that he had the whole of France crossed, to make for monasteries and churches false documents. since it was because of course no wonder that during the Revolution the assets of the clergy could be struck in France to 3,000 million francs! " [ 5 Edition, page 285 ]

Buildings and plant

The French art historian Lefevre - Pontalis opens up for the Abbey Church of St. Médard of the literary sources the four aufeindander following phases of the 6th, 9th, 12th and 16th century. The time of origin only surviving today from the sacral crypt is controversial in the literature. Lefevre - Pontalis continues its emergence 826-841 to, contradicts Jacobsen and dated them in the first half of the 11th century. Testified Undoubtedly, in the sources the existence of the crypt for the first time in the year 1079th She was not an isolated construction or subsequently added, but has been set up jointly with the Abbey, it is of the form language here closely related to the crypt of St. Willibrord at Echternach. From three appended in the 12th century chapels has received the Southern, it has been renewed in 1970. Saint- Médard itself was an elongated three-aisled basilica with vaulted aisles. You were leaning in its eastern third of both sides flanking square towers. In the West, the longhouse across the full width west building was also preceded, the two strong square towers were modeled on both sides, so that the west building turned into a widely spread western front. The crypt extended to below the eastern altar and measures 30m in width.

Crypt of St. Médard. View from the southeast

Crypt of St. Médard

Crypt of St. Médard. ground plan

Order of Saint Benedict Chlothar I. Carolingian dynasty Tonsure Carloman, son of Charles the Bald Herbert II, Count of Vermandois Herbert III of Omois Miniature (illuminated manuscript)

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