Abbey of Cluny

The Abbey of Cluny, in Saône-et-Loire, was founded on 11 September 910, or perhaps 909, by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine. He placed it directly under the authority of the Pope, beyond the reach of the local lords and bishops. This independence made Cluny, from the 10^th to the 12^th century, the centre of a vast network of Benedictine monasteries.

The largest church in the West

Three abbey churches succeeded one another on the site. The third, called Cluny III, was begun around 1080 under Abbot Hugh of Semur; its nave was consecrated in 1130. Measuring 187 metres in length, it remained the largest church in the West until the reconstruction of Saint Peter's in Rome in the 16^th century. Its plan included two transepts, several bell towers and a vault rising to 33 metres.

A house of prayer

In his charter, the founder asked that Cluny become a house of prayer where the heavens were constantly addressed. More than a thousand relics were venerated there and pilgrims came in great numbers. Under the abbots Odo, Maieul, Odilo and Hugh, donations multiplied, a school and a library were established, and Cluny spread throughout Latin Christendom. In 1095, Pope Urban II delimited a sacred ban around the abbey, a space of peace reputed to be inviolable.

Destruction and remains

Après le départ des moines en 1791, l’abbatiale est vendue et sa démolition commence en 1798. On fait sauter la façade en 1810, et le site sert de carrière jusqu’en 1813. Il ne reste aujourd’hui qu’environ 8 % de l’édifice. On voit encore le bras sud du grand transept, coiffé du clocher de l’Eau-Bénite, une partie du petit transept, les bases de l’avant-nef et des bâtiments monastiques des XVII^e et XVIII^e siècles, dont un cloître. Une partie des locaux accueille un campus de l’École nationale supérieure d’arts et métiers. L’ensemble, ouvert à la visite par le Centre des monuments nationaux, porte le label du patrimoine européen.

Cluny, a Burgundian energy site

Even with most of its buildings gone, Cluny features prominently in the records of enthusiasts of energy sites. What strikes here is the gap between the vast lost structure and the fragments that remain, starting with this transept still standing. If you have toured the abbey, describe your visit below.