I Could Have Been a Monk

     Well, actually, there are numerous reasons why I could never have been a monk, but I thought that would get your attention!  And the monastic life has been on my mind as I make visits to nearby churches, cathedrals and an abbey. 
     I have long been fascinated by the time period we refer to as The Middle Ages.  It roughly covers the time just after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD until the Renaissance in the 15th century AD.  That's 1000 years of a very turbulent and yet creative time in history.  Turbulent due to all the wars on the continent of Europe fighting over whose land is it this century and the numerous crusades to the so-called Holy Land - again fighting over land.  And yet so creative when you take the time to visit the hundreds of churches and cathedrals that were built during the late Middle Ages, the 12th through the 15th centuries.

15th Century Church in Eauze

Inside the Church in Eauze

     I am surrounded by this kind of history in my little village of Vic Fezensac in the SW region of France referred to as Gascony.  Gascony is the home of d'Artagnan of the Muskateers who were King Louis XIII's personal army.  It's a wonderful story (some believe it to be absolutely true!) of a young peasant farm boy making his way to Paris and proving himself worthy to be included in this prestigious group of fighting men.

D'Artagnan in Auch

The Four Muskateers in Condom

     Just about every village within a 30 minute radius of Vic has either an old church or parts of a castle or fortress dating back to this time period.  It's one of the many reasons I love France.  There are cathedrals in Condom and Auch.  A cathedral must be designated as such by the Pope himself and is given an Arch Bishop.  Cathedrals are therefore much grander than a mere church.  Although I am just as impressed by the small churches, perhaps more so knowing that the small churches did not receive any monetary help from Rome, but were built from the meager assets and enormous faith of the people, the workers and the artists of that village.

Inside the tiny 15th century Church in Montesquiou

Inside the Cathedral in Condom

     Last week I visited the Abbaye de Flaran, a 12th century Cistercian abbey, one of the best preserved abbeys in the SW of France.  Obviously, since 1151 AD the abbey has suffered from wars and the French Revolution and, quite simply, time, until, in 1972, it was bought by the Departement du Gers (the name of this region) and has been lovingly and historically preserved.
    When I visited last week it was a foggy morning which gave the feeling of having stepped back in time.  You enter a walled and gated courtyard in order to buy a ticket (only 5 euros!).  Then you enter the monastic building.  The visit is a combination of the ancient walls and rooms along with a modern power point presentation and a miniature replica of the abbey, the gardens and the surrounding area.

The Abbey Church

Entering the courtyard of the Abbey

The Abbey Cloister

The Abbey Kitchen

The Chapter House with columns dating from the Romans

    As I walked through the main floor of the abbey I decided that if I had been a monk I would have wanted to work in the kitchen - it would have been warm there!  The cloister is still a place of meditation.  You want to be quiet and still and take in the stark beauty of the stones, the columns and the grassy area in the center.  All the other rooms come off of the cloister, including entrance to the church.
     There's a second story which was the dormitory for the monks.  I love that today those rooms are used as art galleries.  They have a permanent display which includes a Monet, a Cezanne, a Rembrandt, three Dali sculptures, and a wealth of lesser known artists, mostly Impressionists.  And all this for 5 euros!!
     The church was empty of just about everything that one associates with a medieval church - no stained glass (they were Cistercians!), no ornamentation of any kind.  But  . . . I learned something wonderful from the blank stones.  I saw the stone masons' marks.  It seems that each mason was allowed to make his own mark or symbol on the stones that he had carved and these are seen quite clearly on just about every stone in the church.  I shall now look closer at stones in other churches that I visit.
     Abbeys were meant to be self-sufficient so they had vegetable gardens and fruit trees and animals - most likely chickens and goats.  I highly recommend one of my favorite authors, Ellis Peters, and her series of novels set in 12th century England.  A monk named Brother Cadfael is her main character and he is the herbalist at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Shrewsbury.  I love these books.
     As I walked through the Abbaye de Flaran I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of the 12th century monks - perhaps someone just like Brother Cadfael.  These layers of time surround me here.  I feel like a speck in time - 1000 years of the Middle Ages!  And before that the Romans and before that the Celts and before that the prehistoric people who left beautiful paintings of animals in the caves in this part of France.
     That's for another blog post!  For now I leave you with these thoughts and photos of a time and place where people existed only to serve each other and their God.  Thank you for joining me on this short trip back in time.  It is humbling to be a part of something so much bigger than my existance.   Merci!