After spending an hour or two in Senlis on that Sunday morning in June 2011, we drove on east to the town of Soissons. The first place we stopped for a Kodak moment was at the ruins of an old abbey church called Saint-Jean-des-Vignes. The abbey was founded in the year 1076 and was one of the richest abbeys of the Middle Ages. The largesse of French kings, bishops, local lords, and bourgeois merchants financed the building of an imposing abbey church and sturdy monastic buildings on the site in the 13th and 14th centuries. That's what the Michelin Guide says.
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Centuries later, in 1805, the emperor Napoleon and the bishop of Soissons signed an order to have the abbey church
torn down so that the materials it was built with could be used to repair the nearby cathedral in Soissons.
People protested, and the authorities agreed to leave the church's main façade standing.
2Centuries later, in 1805, the emperor Napoleon and the bishop of Soissons signed an order to have the abbey church
torn down so that the materials it was built with could be used to repair the nearby cathedral in Soissons.
People protested, and the authorities agreed to leave the church's main façade standing.
3Le Logis de l'Abbé de Saint-Jean-des-Vignes
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Yes, I remember St-Jean-des-Vignes and the sad feeling at the missing parts of this grand abbey church.
ReplyDeleteThe architect of the abbott’s house solved squaring the circle with the stairwell’s tower.
I like seeing the facade of the church. CHM has an interesting note about the stairwell's tower.
ReplyDeleteThis is remarkable and something I'd love to see. I wonder what the restored church looks like? Is it as grand? Surprised they were so cavalier at plundering this church for materials.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Vercingétorix and the Soissons beans, every schoolchild in France knows about the Soissons vessel (le Vase de Soissons) and who broke it. Ask Google and Wikipedia if you’re curious.
ReplyDeleteUsually, when asked who broke the Vase of Soissons, one answers, Not me! Which is true.
This was interesting to read about...I'm supposing it's a myth. I couldn't find any pictures of the vase.
DeleteHow interesting that they left the façade!
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