Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - Abbey

The abbey at Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (originally known as Fleury Abbey) was founded on the banks of the Loire river mid 7th century. It is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule in France.

The story starts in 672, when some of its monks traveled to Montecassino (Italy), dug up the remains of St. Benedict of Nursia (+ 547) and his sister St. Scholastica and brought them home. After the relics had reached at Fleury Abbey it which was renamed Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - and due to the relics became a major place of pilgrimage. Of course, this did not help when the Normans rowed up the Loire and burned the buildings of the monastery. But the convent recovered and rebuilt.

A famous school and a scriptorium existed here in the late 10th century.

The erection of the church started around 1071. When the church was consecrated in 1108, the long nave was not completed.

The abbey thrived, but times got rougher. In 1562, the abbey was pillaged by Huguenots. The buildings were restored, but looted and destroyed again during the French Revolution. Saint-Benoît's monks left the abbey and so the history of the convent ended after more than 1100 years.

The abbey church had escaped destruction and got restored in the 19th century. In 1944, the convent was refounded the abbey buildings were rebuilt by Benedictine monks after World War II. So the history of the convent was just interrupted for about 150 years.

The choir got consecrated in 1108, it may well me, that the ambulatory and the four chapels were not finished then.

But as Philip I of France (aka "the Amorous") died in July 1108 and as he had chosen this church as his burial place, there was a bit of a time pressure.

The nave and the choir have some interesting capitals, like this one.

Christ on the right, the cross-nimbus is flanked by an Alpha and an Omega. Three persons to the left - and three inscriptions. To the very left "CLEOPASMILES", what is "Cleopas Miles". Cleopas (aka "Cleophas") was one of the two disciples, who met Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Miles (soldier) - "Miles Christi" - is metaphor deriving from the bible. The person beside Cleopas has the inscription "HUGOM" and further to the right "HUGOMILES". Hugo is standing and on his knees. This may be Hugh of Cluny (aka "Hugo von Cluny", "Hugues de Cluny"), the famous and very important abbot of Cluny. The Fleury abbey was part of the Cluniac Reforms already since the 10th century. Hugh died in 1109, so it could well be possible that this carving was commissioned in honour of him.