Fontfroide Abbey: A photo gallery - Bilbao to Sete - CycleBlaze

October 12, 2017

Fontfroide Abbey: A photo gallery

Fontfroide Abbey wasn't on our radar for this tour - I wasn't aware of its existence until we started plotting out a possible day ride from Gruissan. It is a remarkable site, and one of the highlights of this tour. Judging by the sparsity of the crowds - we had the place almost to ourselves - I imagine it's not that well known to others either. For a history of the Abbey and information about how to visit it, here's a link to the excellent Fontfroide website.

Fontfroide Abbey, a former Cistercian Abbey founded in 1093, dissolved during the French Revolution. Purchased in 1908 by artists to protect it from American collectors, and lovingly restored. Now a protected site, and a winery.
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This is a subset of the courtyard photo above, to draw attention to the cistern. Beneath it is a deep well penetrating into a crack in the limestone, producing a source of very cold water. It is the reason that the Abbey was first established here, and the source of its name.
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This splendid tree first attracted us, then surprised us when we drew near. It hums, it's so alive with bumble bees.
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Not the best photo, but enough to help us remember. These critters don't sit still for long!
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The lay brothers' 'ruelle des convers" - a boundary/communication point between the sections of the Abbey open to the lay brothers and those open to the other monks (which I don't quite understand - I'll read more on this later and try to improve on this description).
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In the stairwell leading to the lay monks' dormatory
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In the stairwell leading to the lay monks' dormatory
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In the cloisters
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In the cloisters
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The cloisters were created in two stages, employing different architectural styles. The columns are from the original construction in the 12th century, and are Romanesque. The arching above them came a century later, and is Gothic. It is remarkable how harmoniously the styles were blended.
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In the cloisters
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In the cloisters
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In the cloisters
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The cloister garden
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The well in the cloister garden
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The cloister garden
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A passageway, Fontfroide Abbey
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A passageway, Fontfroide Abbey
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The lay brothers dormitory, obviously now put to other uses.
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In the rose garden, Fontfroide Abbey
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In the rose garden
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