Le Thoronet Abbey

Yesterday we visited Le Thoronet Abbey, in the Var region, just above Le Luc.  Le Luc is near the junction of two motorways, the A8 from Aix en Provence to Nice and beyond, and the A57 from Toulon.

Le Thoronet Abbey is one of three Cistercian abbeys in Provence.    The abbey was build during the 12th century, and in the early 13th century it was home to around twenty monks and a similar number of lay brothers.  Less than two centuries later the abbey began to decline, but luckily it was saved by Renoil, the architect for historic monuments, and restoration work began in 1841.   The State now owns the site, however no religious orders have lived here since the early 1800s.

The entrance to the abbey is shrouded in mystery, due to the thickly planted native trees on either side of the path.   A very dry area, and also very hot in summer.

 The small walled garden, with its ghostly tree trunks, painted white.    Very dramatic.

 The huge church, very plain and very bare, but grand with its pure and simple lines. The three arched windows in the vaulted nave symbolises the Trinity.   The sung services of the monks, were enhanced by exceptional acoustics.

 This is one of the exterior recessed tombs, the only ones of this type in Provence.

 The arches leading out into the cloister, the heart of the monastery.

 The simple passageway leads up towards the church.

 A view of the church, with the cloister in the foreground.

Some of the side rooms, in ruins, but impressive with the many curves and doorways.

 The double archways (geminate arches) with simple circular openings (oculus) at the top.

This is the chapter house where the monks assembled every morning to read a chapter of St Benedict's rules and discuss issues relating to community life.   The architecture shows gothic iinfluence.

A view from the church, back down the passage.

A fountain well encrusted by the water dripping from it.

A last look at part of the gardens with the church in the background, behind the trees.   As it was a very hot day, the contrasting shades of bright light and shade were very pronounced.

A very impressive abbey.