« Construite en belle pierre blanche du pays... l'abbaye de Noirlac (12e-14e s.) constitue l'un des ensembles monastiques les mieux conservés et les plus complets de France. » That's from the Michelin guide.
« L'ensemble est d'une grande austérité : la simplicité des lignes s'ajoute à la blancheur de la pierre pour mettre en valeur la beauté de l'architecture et la sérénité du lieu. » That's the year 2000 edition of the Michelin guide again.
I'm not a religious person, but I love much religious architecture and this is simple and rather wonderful.
ReplyDelete"une grande austérité : la simplicité des lignes s'ajoute à la blancheur de la pierre pour mettre en valeur la beauté de l'architecture et la sérénité du lieu." says it all.
What I mainly love about religious architecture is what the architect concieved, and the masons and joiners achieved, without all the gaudy colour and ghastly use of gold to say "My cathedral is better than yours!!"
Our big barn was a tithe barn belonging to a nearby monastery and we needed the doors swapping over... our maitre'd reckoned they wouldn't be the same and we'd have to live with the grotty doors on show.
He got his laser-ruler and measured.... a i.5cm difference! He reckoned that allowing for internal error, they were the same within the capabilities of the laser! And the doors were swapped with no problem... well done those masons!
In this case, the same... this looks so wonderfully symetrical... and peaceful... love that courtyard.
I wonder if tyhe community was large enough for the brothers to have built this themselves?
I agree with Tim and the French Guide.
ReplyDeleteWhen you and I were there a few years ago, we were blessed by a beautiful weather and a blue sky. The well preserved monastic complex made me think of another smaller one, dear to my heart, in Provence, the Thoronet.
When you visit such a place, you wonder who did the construction (monks turned masons?) and what a monk’s life could ever be.
A French architect, Fernand Pouillon, wrote a book that I recommend, Les Pierres sauvages, about what could have ben the construction of my favorite cistercian abbey, Thoronet! I wonder if it has been translated to English under the title, the Stones of the Abbey? In any case, it is very interesting.
Beautiful photos.
Pouillon, also, restored the Château de Belcastel.
The Stones of Le Thoronet
DeleteHOW MUCH!? Pwoarrr... need the English library service for expensive books like that.
DeleteLOL! Tim! Ken should have checked the title I suggested that you’ll find below.
DeleteThe Stones of the Abbey (English and French Edition) Paperback – January 1, 1985
French Edition by Fernand Pouillon (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars
(4.8) 7 ratings
See all formats and editions
* Hardcover
* $33.38 1 Used from $33.38 Paperback
* $8.92 8 Used from $4.95 2 Collectible from $18.17 Through the use of fiction, the author portrays the daily trials and triumphs of Guillaume Balz as he masterminded the construction of the Abbey of Le Thoronet in Provence.
If you have a chance to read that cheap (this one) book, make sure you do, whether you know Le Thoronet or not. He writes it as an architect.
A nice post for Sunday morning coming on.
ReplyDeleteSimply beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
The wonders of design and of construction, in an age so long ago... and still with us, now... it's really something.
ReplyDeleteThe simplicity makes these very elegant looking. Just the structure.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with everyone. I had purchased a children's book for my daughter about the building of a cathedral with line-drawings in simple black and white with small accents in red ink. I wish I could share the title with you for any younger family or friends - but it is long gone or packed away. Ken Follett has a two-book series that spans nearly 1200 years during the construction of a cathedral that I enjoyed immensely, too. (Title escapes me) Your location is excellent, Ken! I'm sure you and Walt took that into consideration when you moved there.
ReplyDeleteMary, if you enjoyed the construction of a cathedral, you should enjoy the construction of a small Cistercian Abbey complex. You can find that on Amazon for less than ten dollars. The title is “The Stones of the Abbey” by Fernand Pouillon.
DeleteI have no idea what kind of book the link given by Ken leads to. Probably just photos. (But you can have that on the internet.) $125.00! It’s crazy! And it’s not what I ever paid for Les Pierres sauvages.
Pillars of the Earth - by Ken Follett
ReplyDelete