Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert ( or ; oc, Sant Guilhèm dau Desèrt) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Hérault
Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
in southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Situated where the Gellone river's narrow valley meets the steep-sided gorge of the river
Hérault
Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Way of St. James
The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...
) pilgrim route to
Santiago de Compostella
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St. ...
.
Geography
The municipality of Saint-Guilhem covers nearly 40 km² in area.
The town is served by two departmental roads - the D122 and D4. The nearest town is
Saint-André-de-Sangonis
Saint-André-de-Sangonis (''Sant Andrieu de Sangònis'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region
in southern France.
Population
Sights
* Jardin botanique de la Font de Bézombes
See also
*Communes of the H� ...
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
,
Lodève
Lodève (; oc, Lodeva ) is a commune in the département of Hérault, in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish ''Luteva'', composed of lut-, swamp, ...
and
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
(which stands near the source of the Hérault) are all about 35km away.
The town has retained a medieval appearance. It is located on the borders of the Massif Central, in the middle valley of the Hérault, north of the department of the same name. The territory of the town lies in an intramontane zone formed by the extension of the Séranne mountain and the Cellette mountain a few kilometres from the Garrigues of the plain of
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
.
Hydrography
The commune of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is drained by the river
Hérault
Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Verdus and Ruisseau de la Combe du Bouys.
History
The village has maintained its historic state. Because of its isolation, in 806 Saint Guilhem established the
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 which ...
of Gellone here.
In 804, saint Guillaume ('saint Guilhèm' in
langue d'oc
Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valleys ...
), the count of Toulouse and Duke of Aquitaine, founded an abbey here at a time when the valley was virtually uninhabited, hence its appellation "desert". The abbey was called The Abbey of Gellone until Guillaume's death in 812, after which it was named The Abbey of Guillaume, and then the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem following his
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
in 1066.
The Abbey of Aniane, nearby, was founded around 782 by a relative of Guillaume.
The abbey became a very important centre of
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
in the middle ages due to a claim that a
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of a piece of the true cross was housed here. The town developed around the
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 conce ...
.
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, the abbey fell within the territory of the diocese of Lodeve.
During 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the town temporarily bore the name of Verdus-le-Désert.
Landmarks
* The parish church is the former abbey church of the abbey of Gellone where we find the best preserved French organ of Jean-Pierre Cavaillé.
* 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 ...
of the abbey. A large part of this cloister was sold and dismantled during 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
and exported to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where some of it is in the New York Cloister Museum.
*The town is on the route of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage.
* An archaeological museum is housed in the abbey's former refectory. Its collection includes sculptures from the cloister, and the sarcophagi of St. Guilhem and his sisters.
* The tower of the prisons and the castle of the Giant, elements of fortification and defence of the borough.
* The cave of Clamouse, "one of the most beautiful caves in France.
Culture
In summer, the abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and the chapel of the Penitents are the venues for concerts, especially those of the Rencontres Musicales of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, those of the Friends of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. Guilhem and the Camerata Mediterranea.
Population
Miscellaneous
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is one of the ''
Plus Beaux Villages de France
Plus may refer to:
Mathematics
* Addition
* +, the mathematical sign
Music
* ''+'' (Ed Sheeran album), (pronounced "plus"), 2011
* ''Plus'' (Cannonball Adderley Quintet album), 1961
* ''Plus'' (Matt Nathanson EP), 2003
* ''Plus'' (Martin G ...
'' ("The most beautiful villages of France"), and the Abbey of Gellone, along with the nearby Pont du Diable were designated UNESCO World Heritages sites in 1999.
A part of the cloister of the monastery was moved to
The Cloisters
The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art ...
museum in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.Daniel Kletke, ''The cloister of St.-Guilhem-le-Désert at The Cloisters in New York City'', Köster, Berlin, 1997. A new sculpture museum, containing stone works from the abbey, was dedicated on June 26, 2009. In coordination with this event, a weekend of music and a colloquium was organized in large part by the
Camerata Mediterranea
Camerata Mediterranea is a French and American nonprofit organization and an international, intercultural institute of musical exchanges. Camerata Mediterranea devotes itself to research, dialogue, and pedagogy involving the diverse musical civili ...
.
Gallery
File:Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, France.JPG
File:St Guilhem4.JPG
File:Chemin de S Jacques sign in S Guilhem le Désert, France.jpg, A sign marking the Way of Saint James in Saint Guilhem le Désert
File:Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Hérault, Fr) la mairie.JPG, La mairie de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
File:Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Hérault, Fr) sécretariat de la mairie.JPG, Secrétariat de la mairie
Image:P1010789 rue de Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert.JPG, Rue du bourg de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
File:Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Hérault, Fr) ancienne Tour-prison.JPG, La tour des prisons
File:153 Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Eglise.JPG, L'église abbatiale vue de l'aval
File:148 Saint-guilhem-le-Désert Eglise et cloître.JPG, L'église abbatiale et le cloître
Image:Saint-Guilhem_chevet.jpg, Le chevet de l'abbatiale de Saint-Guilhem
File:St Guilhem-le-Désert,abbaye de Gellone J.P.Cavaillé01.jpg, Orgue Jean-Pierre Cavaillé de l'abbaye de Gellone
Image:Abbey Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert fg03.jpg, Cloître du monastère
Image:St Guilhem101.jpg, Cloître reconstruit au musée
The Cloisters
The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art ...
aux États-Unis
Image:St-Guilhem ruines-du géant.jpg, Les ruines du géant
Image:PontDiableHerault.JPG, Pont du Diable (ou Pont de Saint Guilhem datant du Moyen Âge) enjambant l'Hérault
Image:Pont_du_diable.jpg, Nouveau pont sur l'Hérault (1932), à l'entrée des gorges de l'
 et gorges de l'Hérault.
</gallery>
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<h1><br><p> See also</h1></p>
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