The abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou ( Catalan: ''Abadia de Sant Martí del Canigó'') is a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
built in 1009 in the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
of
Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia, North Catalonia or French Catalonia is the Catalan language, Catalan-speaking and cultural territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 in exchange for France's effective renu ...
on
Canigó
The Canigó ( , ; ; ) is a mountain located in the Pyrenees of southern France.
The Canigó is located less than from the sea and has an elevation of . Due to its sharp flanks and its dramatic location near the coast, until the 18th century t ...
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
border.
Pau Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,
Location
The monastery is located on the territory of the commune of
Casteil
Casteil (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales Departments of France, department in southern France, part of the historical Conflent comarca. The abbey Martin-du-Canigou is located above Casteil.
Geography Localisat ...
, in the
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales (; ; ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spain, Spanish ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
''.
History
The original
Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
monastery was built from 1005 to 1009 by Guifred II,
Count of Cerdanya
The County of Cerdanya (, ; ; , ) was one of the Catalan counties formed in the last decades of the 8th century by the Franks in the ''Marca Hispanica''. The original Cerdanya consisted of the valley of the upper Segre. Today Cerdanya is a Catala ...
( Fr. ''Cerdagne''), in atonement for the murder of his son and was populated by
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monks.
In 1050, Guifred II died at the monastery he had built after having become a monk there 15 years before. In 1051 a messenger set forth to visit religious houses throughout Europe to solicit prayers for Guifred. He brought a parchment, a
mortuary roll
A mortuary roll (Latin: ''rotulus mortuorum'') was a rotulus composed in the scriptorium of a medieval Christianity, Christian monastic community to Memorialization, commemorate the death of a prominent person associated with the institution.
Fun ...
, upon which at each stop were added words of prayer and respect. This parchment has survived and scholars (including Léopold Delisle with his ''Rouleaux des Morts du IX au XV Siecle'' of 1866) have used it to discover differences in culture between northern and southern Europe in a single given year. Some of the discoveries from this important document include that southern culture was more staid and bound by custom while the northern culture more free form and experimental in their writing styles, use of words and grammar.
The monastery was damaged in the Catalan earthquake of 1428.
The monastery was secularized in 1782 by
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
. The monastery was abandoned by the monks in 1783-1785 and fell into disrepair.
During
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
in the years 1793-1794, the abbey was closed, and its contents scattered. The buildings were then transformed into a stone quarry for nearby residents, the capitals of the cloister were looted, as well as sculptures and furniture.
In 1902, the bishop of Elne and Perpignan, because of his Catalan background, began to restore the ruins radically, work that was completed in 1932. Today it is occupied by the Catholic Community of the Beatitudes.
Buildings
The abbey consists of two churches in the
First Romanesque
One of the first streams of Romanesque architecture in Europe from the 10th century and the beginning of 11th century is called First Romanesque, or Lombard Romanesque. It took place in the region of Lombardy (at that time the term encompassing ...
style; the lower church, dedicated to St. Mary, and the upper, dedicated to St. Martin. This building is indexed in the
Base Mérimée
The ''Base Mérimée'' () is the database of French monumental and architectural heritage, created and maintained by the French Ministry of Culture. It was created in 1978, and placed online in 1995. The database is periodically updated, and conta ...
, a database of architectural heritage maintained by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
, under the reference PA00103981.
*The lower church is predominantly black, and vault height rarely exceeds 3 meters. The eastern part (apses and adjacent bay) probably dates back to the consecration of 1009, while the rest of the building dates from the years 1010–1020, in conjunction with work after acquiring the relics of St. Ganders and new consecration of the church.
*The upper church was built between the years 1010-1020 (at the same time as the expansion of the lower church). Its construction required the strengthening of the columns of the lower church, which were enclosed in square piles. Similar to the lower church, the Saint-Martin church is composed of three naves separated by monolithic columns and barrel vaulted semicircular (except between the third and fourth bay, where the pair of support is cruciform in shape and arch supports).
*The gatehouse is no longer than 19 meters after being damaged in the 1428 earthquake. It was never fully restored.
The rest of the convent buildings date from the early 20th century.
The cloister
Since the restorations of 1900-1920 it is difficult to imagine the original appearance of the cloister.
The cloister once had two levels, the first built in the early 11th century and the second to the late 12th century. The lower level, which showed vaulted galleries and semicircular arches was bare of any decoration. Nowadays, there remain only three galleries that have been heavily restored, lacking their original character. The upper level, had marble capitals, which were scattered after the closure of the monastery during the French Revolution. The restoration recovered some, which were incorporated in the new southern gallery.
Gallery
File:Saint Martin du Canigou 03.jpg, Northern and eastern galleries (2006)
File:Abbaye Saint-Martin-du-Canigou - Voyages pittoresques.jpg, Abbey of Saint Martin du Canigou by A. Mayer (1837)
File:Église de l'abbaye Saint-Martin du Canigou - Voyages pittoresques.jpg, Abbey Church of St Martin de Canigou (1837)
File:Saint Martin du Canigou 01.jpg, Tower-porch and apse of the abbey (2006)
File:Saint-Martin-du-Canigou-PM 45669.jpg, Decorated pillar (2010)
File:Saint-Martin-du-Canigou-PM 45714.jpg, Tower (2010)
File:Saint-Martin-du-Canigou-PM 45663.jpg, Cloisters (2010)
File:Saint-Martin du Canigou, chapiteau 05.jpg, Decorated capital, figures (2015)
File:Saint-Martin-du-Canigou-PM 45711.jpg, Interior (2010)
File:F10 51 Abbaye Saint-Martin du Canigou.0179.JPG, Font (2011)
File:F10 51 Abbaye Saint-Martin du Canigou.0089.JPG, Slate tile roofs (2011)
File:F10 51 Abbaye Saint-Martin du Canigou.0111.JPG, Relief, Monks burying an Abbot (2011)
File:Abbaye Saint-Martin du Canigou, Grundriss Oberkirche, Handskizze.jpg, Floor plan of the upper church, Sketch (2011)