Saint-Michel de Grandmont Priory

The former priory of Saint- Michel de Grandmont was founded in the late 12th century by Grammont Enser Order. It is located seven kilometers east of Lodève on a hill surrounded by forest and belongs to the municipality Soumont in Hérault in the French region of Languedoc -Roussillon. Saint -Michel de Grandmont is considered the best-preserved plant of the order and still has its church, the convent building and the cloister. In 1981, the priory was added as a protected monument in the list of Monuments historiques.

History

Saint -Michel de Grandmont was founded in the last quarter of the 12th century as a priory of the Order of Grandmont. The place was, in accordance with the provisions of the Rule, in a forest, not to agriculture suitable ground away from towns, but near a traffic route. The patronal feast of St.. Michael suggests that there was already a chapel dedicated to the Archangel on the site. As the dolmens occupy on the site, the area was inhabited early. The Order goes back to Stephen of Muret, who retired in 1076 to Ambazac, near Limoges, as a hermit. Around him gathered other hermits who after his death in Grandmont, in the commune of Saint -Sylvestre, five kilometers from Ambazac settled. The Founder was canonized in 1189. In the Middle Ages arose 150 priories of the Order.

In the 13th century Saint -Michel de Grandmont received large donations from Guillaume de Cazoul, the Bishop of Lodève. He was buried in 1259 in the monastery church. 1471 the priory was to come, and it began the decline of the monastery. In the 16th century there lived only four Grammont Enser and in the 17th century, the community no longer existed. 1771 was the order of Louis XV. dissolved. During the French Revolution, the buildings were sold as national property and rebuilt in the mid-19th century to a winery. After another change of ownership, the monastery buildings were restored in 1957 again.

Church

The church was built around 1200 and corresponds in its simplicity and rigor to the provisions of the Order, are those of the Cistercian comparable. The church has a single nave covered with a conical buoy without transverse arches. The semicircular apse is pierced by three narrow, sloped windows. Another window is located above the western portal. The only wall decoration forms a cornice which runs at the base of the barrel vault. The roof turret, an octagonal lantern with a dome was added in the 13th or 14th century.

From the 14th century comes the small rib-vaulted chapel on the north side of the church, the Holy. Michael was ordained. She lay outside the exam and had no access to the church. The chapel was reserved for women who were not allowed in the church.

Cloister

The cloister dates from the 13th century. He is the only surviving cloister of the Order. Its four wings are of nearly a square. Three sides have a ribbed vault with keystones, the eastern gallery is a flat ceiling. Rectangular pillars alternate with double columns with simple capitals are partly provided with geometric motifs or leaf decoration.

Monastery buildings

A round-arched door, which is flanked on both sides by arcades, forms the entrance to the original square chapter house. The ribs of the vault set to just above the ground. In the 19th century, the wall was torn down to zweijochigen work room and extended the room. From the cloister stairs to the dormitory of the monks, which is located over the chapter and working facilities, and its cross- floor windows were broken in the 16th century leads. The south wing of the ground floor were in the east, the refectory and the kitchen housed in the West. The overlying basement, which is divided into several rooms, has retained its original conical buoy. Also, the west wing, where the guests dormitory was located is still arched by a conical buoy.