Monday, December 5, 2016

Benedictine Monastery of Cluny, France




            The Benedictine Monastery of Cluny was founded in 910 by William 1, the then Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne. The Cluny was found on a modest scale and served as the motherhouse of Cluny’s congregation. After founding the Cluny, William 1 appointed Berno as its first Abbot. Berno was only subject to then catholic pope, Pope Sergius III. This abbey was widely known for its strict adherence to St. Benedict’s rule. The Benedictine order went on to become an important aspect of the stability of the European society. During the French Revolution of 1790, most of the Abbey was destroyed. By the time the revolution came to an end, just a small portion of it remained (Constable, 2010).
            As a congregation of Cluny, the monastery had several deeds of gift which included woods, vineyards, mills, cultivated and uncultivated lands and waters. Here, the poor, pilgrims and strangers were supposed to receive hospitality. It was decided that the monastery was supposed to be free from local authorities and was only to the Pope’s subject. William went on to place the Cluny under saints Paul’s and Peter’s protection with a very a powerful curse on any person that would violate its charter. Since the Pope was living in Italy across the Alps mountains the monastery was independent.
            The art used in the construction of the Cluny of Abbey was conveyed through the mass of Mont-Saint-Vincent and the open walkways in the forest during autumn were the initiative of the monastery’s builder Etienne. Here, the Cluny enlarged around the cloister garden with an open gallery which provides access to the estate and open spaces connecting the central square. The gallery communicates with the church in the north wing while the other remaining three branches are open to the administrative placements, dining hall and the chapter room.
            The dormitories for the monks are located on the top floor of the cloister. Here, monks reach the transept of the church using staircases. On the other hand, the distribution of the Cluny’s other units such as cemetery, garden, guest house for those on the pilgrim and the school of novices was determined by the quantity of land available, richness of the entire community and number of monks (Constable, 2010).
            For the Cluny to effectively serve its purpose, the structure and materials used to construct had to be appropriate. The Cluny’s largest nave was covered using a barrel vault with naves that had low vault edges and double pointed arches. There is a staggered basilica which allows light to reach the monastery’s there levels. The wall and arches above served as screen skeletons between the columns supporting the arches of the barrel vault run which are semi-attached. The clerestory on the other hand with three windows on every corridor together with main shafts of support were divided in order to operate as three supporting elements.
            Taking into account the fact that there was no electricity during the time the Cluny was constructed constructors ensured it had numerous windows which were made up of three vaults that are cylindrical in nature. At the same time, the proportions of presbytery were expanded through the introduction of second crossing which happened to be an independent central structure. The church’s western façade had a profound recessed portal which was the first instance at the time. However, it later became a significant characteristic of all Gothic cathedrals.

References
Constable, G. (2010). The abbey of Cluny: A collection of essays to mark the eleven-hundredth      anniversary of its foundation. Berlin: Lit.
Graham, R., & Clapham, A. W. (1930). VI.—The Monastery of Cluny, 910–1155. Archaeologia (Second Series), 80, 143-178.
Smith, L. M. (1920). The early history of the monastery of Cluny. H. Milford.

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