Site of the abbey Sainte-Marie

Name: Sitio de la Abadía de Santa María
Start: 2023-09-16T09:30:00+02:00
End: 2023-09-17T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Abbatiale Sainte-Marie

Visiting the Sainte-Marie de Cruas abbey is an opportunity to discover real treasures. Treasure of architecture first of all, with this set in a pure Roman style very homogeneous and impressi…

16 i 17 septiembre 2023Passed

©Jérôme_Crozat

Visiting the abbey church Sainte-Marie de Cruas is an opportunity to discover real treasures. Treasure of architecture first of all, with this set in a pure Romanesque style very homogeneous and impressive. The other treasure of this church is its monastic gallery, by the quality of its sculptures and its rarity. The prayer in the crypt is one of the highlights of this monument. Finally, the 12th century mosaic in the choir of the building touches the visitor with its beauty.
The team of guides of the Tourist Office will welcome you with pleasure to make you discover this jewel.

About the location

Abbatiale Sainte-Marie

Avenue Joliot-Curie, 07350 Cruas, Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ardèche
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

This Romance abbey church is the only vestige of a powerful Abbey based(established) in 804\. The conventual buildings(ships) were destroyed a first time during Hundred Years' War and a second time during the wars of religion in the XIVth century. The site on which is built the abbey church is occupied by the man to minimum for the 1st century of our era. During excavations(searches) begun(undertaken) in 1972, were found of the foundations of a Gallo-Roman villa of the IIIth or IVth century. At the end of Ve century, the site is devoted to religion, with the construction of the first early Christian building with orientated apse which resumes(takes back) partly the walls of the Gallo-Roman villa. From then on several religious buildings are going to follow one another. The abbey church, such as us know it today, was exposed(explained) from its construction to the floods of the stream of Crûle which brought alluvium which obstructed the inside and the outside(exterior) of the building(ship). It is Prosper Mérimée, then chief architect of the Historic monuments who is on the initiative of his classification(ranking) historical monument. In 1972, Robert Saint Jean, lecturer at the university Paul-Valéry of Montpellier, makes a campaign(countryside) of archaeological researches(searches). Then between 1982 and 1990, at the request of DRAC Rhône-Alpes, archaeological researches(searches) start again, with the refitting(reorganisation) of the square and the bringing to light of the necropolis. In 1998/1999, Francesco Flavigny, chief architect of historic monuments, redevelops the bedhead of the abbey church. Aforementioned excavations(searches) allowed to clear away so that the abbey church finds its aspect of origin. Treasures were so updated: the monastic forum(stand) (12è s.) who(which) marked separation between the monks and the people. Two only exist at present: that of Cruas and that of Serrabonne in the Pyrénées-Orientales. In 1983, when the forum(stand) was brought out(loosened) of its yoke of stones and of muds, she(it) was in an exceptional state of preservation. 13 capitals(big tops) sounds any different, there is even a human face. The crypt is the most old(former) part(party): she(it) sheltered the relics of saint Torquat and saint Josserand and counts a splendid bestiary. The high church counts window dressings, rests of frescoes, table of altar of XIÈ and especially mosaic of the XIIth representative Elie and Henoc, only vestige staying on the set(group) of mosaics which memorialised passage in Cruas of the pope Urbain II in 1095.