The Cluny Abbey in Burgundy

1 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, House of the Month Reading Time:  22 minutes

© Jan Sokol/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Jan Sokol/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cluny Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to St Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churches built in succession from the 4th to the early 12th centuries. The earliest basilica was the world’s largest church until the St. Peter’s Basilica construction began in Rome. Cluny was founded by William I, Duke of Aquitaine in 910. He nominated Berno as the first Abbot of Cluny, subject only to Pope Sergius III. The abbey was notable for its stricter adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict, whereby Cluny became acknowledged as the leader of western monasticism. The establishment of the Benedictine Order was a keystone to the stability of European society that was achieved in the 11th century. In 1790 during the French Revolution, the abbey was sacked and mostly destroyed, with only a small part of the Abbey surviving. Starting around 1334, the Abbots of Cluny maintained a townhouse in Paris known as the Hôtel de Cluny, which has been a public museum since 1843. Apart from the name, it no longer possesses anything originally connected with Cluny.   read more…

Mâcon in Burgundy

30 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Luciani71/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Luciani71/cc-by-sa-3.0

Mâcon is a small city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire, located in Burgundy. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, who are referred to in French as Mâconnais. The area west and north of Mâcon produces well-known wines from the Chardonnay grape. The best known appellation of the Mâconnais is Pouilly-Fuissé. The city lies on the western bank of the Saône river, between Bresse in the east and the Beaujolais hills in the south. Mâcon is the southernmost city in the region of Burgundy. It is located 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of Lyon and 400 kilometres (249 miles) from Paris.   read more…

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