![Montmajour Rock Tombs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Montmajour_Rock_Tombs.JPG)
Montmajour
Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The con ...
, formally the Abbey of
St. Peter in Montmajour (french: Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour), was a fortified
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
built between the 10th and 18th centuries on what was originally an island five kilometers north of
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
, in what is now the
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...
Department, in the region of
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
in the south of France.
The abbey complex consists of six sections:
* the
hermitage, dating from the 11th century, which includes the Chapel of St. Peter;
* the
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
, built during the 12th and 13th centuries;
* the adjacent Chapel of the Holy Cross, built during the 12th century;
* the fortified Monastery of St. Peter, built during the 14th century;
* the Tower of Abbot Pons de l'Orme, dating from the same period;
* the
Maurist monastery, built in the 17th century.
The abbey is noted for its 11th–14th-century
grave
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...
s, carved in the rock, its subterranean
crypt, and its massive unfinished church. It was an important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, and in the 18th century it was the site of a large
Maurist monastery, now in
ruin
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
. The abbey and the landscape around it were frequently painted and drawn by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
. In 1967, production for 1968 film, ''The Lion in Winter'' featured the abbey,
Katharine Hepburn's dressing room infamously accommodated in the basement.
It has been listed since 1840 as a ''
monument historique'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...
.
[ Ancienne abbaye de Montmajour] Today the ruins of the abbey are cared for as a historic monument by the ''
Centre des monuments nationaux
The Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN) (French, 'National monuments centre') is a French government body (Établissement public à caractère administratif) which conserves, restores and manages historic buildings and sites that are the propert ...
''.
Early history and legends of Montmajour
Until the late Middle Ages, Montmajour was an island, 43 meters above the surrounding terrain, protected by marshes and accessible only by boat. As early as the 3rd millennium BC the island was used as a cemetery, with individual graves carved into the rock. In the 9th and 10th centuries the island also served as a sanctuary for the local residents during invasions of the
Saracens and the
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
. During the Middle Ages, several legends arose about Montmajour and its founding. One legend said that the island had been the sanctuary of St.
Trophimus
Trophimus ( el, Τρόφιμος, ''Tróphimos'') or Trophimus the Ephesian ( el, Τρόφιμος ὁ Ἐφέσιος, ''Tróphimos ho Ephésios'') was a Christian who accompanied Paul of Tarsus, Paul during a part of his third missionary jou ...
, who had been sent from Rome by
St. Peter to convert the
Gauls
The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...
. After coming to Arles in 46 AD, he took shelter in one of the caves on the island and received disciples there. A rock cell under the church is called "The Confessional of St. Trophimus." Until 943 the island belonged to the
Church of St. Trophime in Arles.
Another legend said that the graves were those of soldiers of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
, who had fought against the Saracens. A third legend said that the first church was founded by King
Childebert I
Childebert I (c. 496 – 13 December 558) was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons of Saint Cl ...
, the son of
Clovis, when he saw the fervor of a group of
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
s on the island.
Chronology
*949 - A Frankish noblewoman,
Teucinde of Arles, acquires the island from the
Archbishop of Arles
The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.[Rule of St. Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...]
.
*963 -
Pope Leo VIII
Pope Leo VIII ( 915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death. Today he is considered by the Catholic Church to have bee ...
puts the monastery under his direct patronage and raises it to the status of an abbey.
*11th century - The first Abbey Church of Mary, Mother of the Lord (french: Marie la mère du seigneur) is built between 1030-69. The Chapel of St. Peter is excavated into the rock on the south side of the hill, near the cemetery. The crypt of the church is
consecrated by Pons de Marignane, Archbishop of Arles, on 3 May, most likely in 1019, at the insistence of Rambert, the 7th Abbot of Montmajour. The abbey church becomes the resting place of the
Counts of Provence
The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...
.
*1030 - The abbey acquires what is believed to be a fragment of the
True Cross
The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...
obtained from a larger piece which had been venerated in Arles since the 4th century. The Chapel of St. Benedict is dedicated to the relic, and the abbey thereby becomes a major pilgrimage site. It was dedicated in that year by the Archbishop of Arles, who proclaimed the "Pardon of Montmajor" for all those seeking
absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...
from their sins who went to that remote location on May 3, the obsolete
feast day of the Finding of the
True Cross
The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...
known as "
Roodmas
Roodmas (from Old English ''rood'' "rod", "cross" and ''mas'', Mass; similar to the etymology of Christmas), is a name for the celebration of the Feast of the Cross. It has been applied to both historical commemoration on May 3 and, September 14. ...
", and who left a donation for the completion of the abbey church. By the 12th century the shrine has become so popular with pilgrims that the abbey has to build a separate church for the relic, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, located outside the abbey walls.
*12th century - The second abbey church is built, possibly on the site of the previous one. The abbey is at the peak of its influence and wealth. It possesses vineyards, cornfields, olive groves, waterways, mills, fisheries and forests, and had dependent
priories and land all over Provence, and as far away as
Fréjus,
Sisteron
Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France.
Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
and
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. The rulers of Provence give the abbey land, castles, and even entire towns, such as
Pertuis
Pertuis (; oc, Pertús) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Located south of the Luberon, this town is also near Aix-en-Provence, a famous town. Pertuis has existed since at ...
.
*Construction of the Abbey Church of Our Lady is begun, but because of a shortage of money, only the first two
bays are completed.
*13th century - The abbey has 60 resident monks, a large number for the period. By then it is the
motherhouse
A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute
A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow memb ...
of a network of 56
priories, subject to the Abbot of Montmajour.
*1348 - The
Black Plague reduces by half the population of Provence.
*1357 - The
Free Company, armies of French soldiers left unpaid after the defeat of France by the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
army at
Poitiers during the
Hundred Years War, ravage the countryside. It is pillaged again by marauders in 1357, and by the soldiers of
Raimond de Turenne of
Les Baux, who wage war against Arles from 1386 to 1398. The Abbot of Montmajour, Pons de L'Orme, then fortifies the monastery with a massive tower. Starvation and destruction become widespread in Provence.
*1593 - During the
Wars of Religion
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
, the abbey is occupied by soldiers of the
Catholic League, and the monks are forced to move to Arles for two years. When they return, they find the monastery ruined.
*1639 - Against the wishes of the majority of monks, the abbey is given to a new Benedictine
congregation
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship.
Congregation may also refer to:
* Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...
, the
Maurists, a Benedictine reform based at the
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. Despite the hostility of the "old" monks, and of the
commendatory abbot, Charles Bichi, whose family had purchased his title from the king and who does not reside at the abbey and refuses to pay for its upkeep, the Maurists begin a program of restoration and construction.
*Though the Maurists monks number only 30, their construction program is grandiose - they begin a classical building designed to have 25 bays along its north and south facades. Sixteen bays are completed by the time of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
.
*1786 - The titular abbot, Cardinal
Louis de Rohan, refuses to pay anything further for the upkeep of the abbey, and it was officially secularized.
*1789 - At the time of the French Revolution, only nine monks remain at Montmajour.
*1791-1793 - The monastery is sold for 62,000 ''livres'' to Elizabeth Roux-Châtelard, who strips the Maurist building and leaves it in ruins. The property is then divided and resold to twenty different owners. The medieval part is used for a sheep farm and haylofts.
*1797 - The painter
Jacques Réattu
Jacques Réattu (3 August 1760, Arles – 7 April 1833, Arles) was a French painter and winner of the grand prix de Rome. He was an illegitimate son of the painter Guillaume de Barrême de Châteaufort and Catherine Raspal, sister of the Arles-bo ...
buys the Pons de l'Orme tower, saving it from destruction.
*1822 - The city of Arles buys the Chapel of the Holy Cross from a fisherman, and preserves it.
*1840 - The writer
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
, Inspector of Ancient Monuments for the French government, puts the abbey on the first list of French historical monuments which should be preserved. Restoration begins on some of the buildings in 1862, and continues for decades.
*1859 - The last of the Romanesque and Gothic properties are purchased by the state. The Maurist building is not purchased until 1921.
*1944 - A major fire breaks out inside the abbey church, which is being used by the German Army as an arms depot.
St. Peter's Chapel (11th century)
![Montmajour-ErmitageStPierre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Montmajour-ErmitageStPierre.jpg)
St. Peter's Chapel is the oldest existing part of the abbey, probably built between 1030 and 1050. It consists of a
narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...
and two parallel naves, the older one cut into the rock on the south side of the hill, and an arcade of rounded Romanesque arches resting on columns, creating openings to the rock cemetery. The columns are older than the church, and probably come from Roman buildings in Arles; but the capitals of the columns are carved with Romanesque floral designs. The southern nave is complete with a
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
and a semi-circular
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
.
Inside the church a passage leads to what appears to be a natural cave, with a small window, which according to tradition was the home of St. Trophimus and the first monks to live on the island.
The chapel was severely vandalized in 1976, with restoration due by 2012.
Rock Cemetery (11th-14th century)
The rocky slope near St. Peter's Chapel has more than a dozen tombs cut into the rock in the shape of human bodies, with places for the head, shoulders and feet. The more recent tombs (14th century) were rectangular, and were probably covered with stone slabs. Most of the tombs are oriented with the feet toward the east, the direction of the sunrise and the Resurrection.
Chapel of the Holy Cross (12th century)
![Chapelle de Ste-Croix, Arles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Chapelle_de_Ste-Croix%2C_Arles.JPG)
The Chapel of the Holy Cross (French: ''Chapelle de Sainte-Croix'') was built to contain the most valuable relic of the abbey, a piece of the True Cross. It is located a few hundred meters from the abbey church, outside the monastery walls, to provide the monks with greater separation from the crowds of pilgrims.
It was dedicated on 20 April and is in the shape of a cross, with a vestibule on the north side, and four semicircular apses with semicircular domes around a square bay with a cloister vault. The vault is crowned by a perfect stone square, topped by triangular pediments and a small tower. The cornices and pediments are decorated with dentils. The building, with its dignity, simplicity, symmetry and perfect craftsmanship, is considered a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.
Crypt of St Benedict (12th century)
![Montmajour Abbey Crypt of St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Montmajour_Abbey_Crypt_of_St._Benedict_Rotunda.jpg)
The crypt of St Benedict is partly dug into the rock of the hill and partly built of massive stone walls, perfectly cut. It features a transept with two absidioles, or small chapels, and a passage which leads to a small rotunda which is crowned with a cupola. The rotunda is surrounded by an ambulatory a tall, narrow hemicircular corridor with a stone barrel vault. On its outer side, the ambulatory opens into five radiating chapels, each with its own window catching the eastern light, and its own small barrel-vaulted choir bay and semi-domed apse. The large number of small chapels allowed the large number of monks in the monastery to quickly celebrate the morning mass.
A striking feature of the crypt is the smooth quality of the stone work- the stones are perfectly cut and fitted, and their only texture is the slight rippling caused by dressing the stone with the help of a toothed hammer.
Nave and choir of the Abbey Church of Notre-Dame (12th century)
![Montmajour-Abbatiale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Montmajour-Abbatiale.jpg)
The massive church on top of the crypt has a single nave fourteen meters wide. It was designed to have five bays, but apparently because of a shortage of funds only two bays were constructed, and the west end was left unfinished.
The nave is covered with slightly pointed barrel vaults supported by projecting traverse arches resting upon cruciform piers.
The apse, at the east end of the church, is semicircular, and has the same diameter as the width of the nave. It has an imposing semi-spherical dome with five flat ribs, and three small windows, slightly offset to one side. Perhaps because of the strong mistral and tramontane winds from the north, the nave has no windows on the north side.
The church has a relatively short transept, each wing ending in a small apsidiole.
There are three doorways on the south side of the church; one leading to the rock cemetery, one to abbot's lodging (now ruined); and one to the chapter house and the spiral stairway to the bell tower.
Two new chapels were added to the north side of the nave in the 15th century. One, which served as the
sacristy, contains the 18th century
lavabo
A lavabo is a device used to provide water for the washing of hands. It consists normally of a ewer or container of some kind to pour water, and a bowl to catch the water as it falls off the hands. In ecclesiastical usage it refers to all of: the b ...
, or washing basin, and the other protected the charters of the Abbey.
The cloister (12th century)
![Montmajour-Cloître3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Montmajour-Clo%C3%AEtre3.jpg)
The cloister was built to the south of the church. It was meant to reinforce the walls of the first four bays of the church, but these bays were never built. It is rectangular, 27 meters long and 24 meters wide. In the center is a cistern which collected rainwater through pipes and channels from the roofs of the monastery buildings.
The north gallery is the oldest part of the cloister. The traverse arches are supported by brackets decorated with carvings of real and mythological beasts, including a
tarasque
The Tarasque is a fearsome legendary dragon-like mythological hybrid from Provence, in southern France, tamed in stories about Saint Martha, such as the one told in Jacobus de Voragine's '' Golden Legend'' (13th century).
The tarasque was des ...
. Some of the foliage-decorated columns show human heads looking through the foliage. The original sculpted capitals were repaired in the 19th century.
At the beginning of the east gallery is the tomb of the Counts of Provence, built to hold the remains of Count Raymond Berenger IV (died 1181). The only original Romanesque capitals are in this arcade, representing the
Temptation of Christ
The temptation of Christ is a biblical narrative detailed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting in the Judaean Desert. At the ti ...
by a small devil with flaming hair; on the other side is an acrobat performing splits, and an apple, the symbol of temptation.
The west gallery was extensively altered by the Maurist monks in the 18th century, but the brackets have some of the most vivid carvings, showing the
Mistral
Mistral may refer to:
* Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia
Automobiles
* Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970
* Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006
* Microp ...
wind, the moon, the sun and fire, and a mythical amphibious beast devouring a man. It also has 13th century graffiti depicting sailing ships and horses.
The south gallery is the most recent, and the carvings are the most realistic; a donkey, a monkey, a camel and an eagle are depicted on the brackets, and the columns show the Annunciation the crowning of the Virgin, and knights fighting.
The Chapter House was connected with the east gallery- here the monks gathered each morning to hear a chapter of the
Rule of St. Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
followed by a brief teaching on it by the abbot, and also discussed the management of the abbey. It is lit by a single oculus, or round window, and connected with the nave and by a stairway to the dormitory.
The Refectory, or dining room, connected with the south gallery through a Romanesque door decorated with a grotesque head of
Tantalus
Tantalus ( grc, Τάνταλος ) was a Greek mythological figure, most famous for his punishment in Tartarus: he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the wate ...
,
The dormitory of the monks occupied the entire floor over the refectory, and was connected to it by two staircases.
The west gallery formerly connected to the cellar, bakery, bread oven, and guest rooms, which no longer exist.
The Tower of Pons de l'Orme (14th century)
The tower was built by the abbot and
cardinal, Pons de l'Orme, beginning in 1369 to protect the abbey from the rampaging Free Company (see chronology.) The tower is 26 meters high, and contained a well and a storeroom for provisions, having three stories in the upper level. The top is equipped with battlements, arrow slits and
machicolation, designed to drop unpleasant things on the heads of attackers. The coat of arms of the abbot, an elm tree with two angel-monks, is carved on the outside of the tower.
The Maurist monastery (18th century)
![Montmajour StMaur 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Montmajour_StMaur_03.jpg)
The ruined Maurist Monastery was built in the classical style by architect Pierre Mignard on a huge scale; the building was originally five stories high, covering eight thousand square meters, with sixty windows and two grand staircases. The monks,
lay brother
Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...
s and
novices
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
lived on the top two floors, with their library, classrooms and archives. The building was largely demolished after the French Revolution for its building materials (see Chronology.)
Vincent van Gogh at Montmajour Abbey
The painter
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
, who lived in nearby
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
, frequently painted and drew the Abbey and the landscape around it. In a letter to his brother in July 1888, he said he had been at Montmajour at least fifty times "to see the view over the plain." He wrote on July 5, 1888: "Yesterday, at sunset, I was on a stony heath, where very small, twisted oaks grow, in the background a ruin on the hill, and wheat fields in the valley. it was romantic, and couldn't be more so."
A painting that van Gogh had done on July 4, 1888, ''
Sunset at Montmajour
''Sunset at Montmajour'' is a landscape in oils painted by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh on 4 July 1888. It was painted while the artist was at Arles, France and depicts a landscape of garrigue with the ruins of Montmajour Abbey in the backg ...
'', long considered a fake, was authenticated and placed on display in the
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum () is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw. The museum opene ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
in September 2013.
New York Times, September 10, 2013.
Gallery
File:Montmajour-Cloître1.jpg, The cloister (12th century)
File:Montmajour Tarasque.JPG, Carving of a tarasque
The Tarasque is a fearsome legendary dragon-like mythological hybrid from Provence, in southern France, tamed in stories about Saint Martha, such as the one told in Jacobus de Voragine's '' Golden Legend'' (13th century).
The tarasque was des ...
, a legendary monster, devouring a man, from the cloister (12th century)
File:Coupe.chapelle.abbaye.Montmajour.png, Cross-Section of the Chapel of the Holy Cross, from Viollet-le-Duc
Bibliography
*''The Abbey of Montmajour'', Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Aldo Bastié, Monum - Editions du Patrimoine, 2000
*Aldo Bastiée, ''Histoire de la Provence'', Editions Ouest-France, 2001
*
Citations
External links
Pictures of the abbey
Brief history
{{Authority control
12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France
14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France
Buildings and structures in Arles
Christian monasteries established in the 10th century
Benedictine monasteries in France
Churches in Bouches-du-Rhône
Fortified church buildings in France
Ruins in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Tourist attractions in Bouches-du-Rhône
Romanesque architecture
Monasteries destroyed during the French Revolution
Monuments historiques of Bouches-du-Rhône
Ruined abbeys and monasteries
Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux
Neoclassical church buildings in France