ABBAYE DE MONTMAJOUR

At the exit of Arles, in the direction of Fontvieille, stands the Mons Major which dominates the low plain of the Rhone delta, and yet is only 43 m high. This island protruding from the old marshes is home to the Benedictine abbey of Montmajour, a complex architectural ensemble that bears witness to nearly eight centuries of history and architecture in Provence. First of all, to the south, a natural cavity all in length, the initial church barely fitted out with an arch in the middle in which would have come Saint Trophime. Then, still to the south, the hermitage of Saint Peter, partly built into the rock. Then, the medieval monastery dating from the 12th century. The Notre-Dame abbey, built in two campaigns from 1130 to 1150 then from 1170 to 1180, occupies the top. The nave, planned in three bays, has only two and stops on a temporary wall. The Holy Cross Chapel, slightly below, was built during the second campaign (1170-1180). The cloister dates from 1140 and 1290, followed by the watchtower which was added in the 14th and 15th centuries, at the time of the great companies, bands of plunderers ravaging Provence, and finally, the most recent part, the 18th century Saint-Maur monastery. Degraded during the Revolution, its powerful walls have nevertheless resisted the ravages of men and time. Its empty windows, its cloister lined with columns with capitals engraved with medieval monsters, give the place a mysterious atmosphere. Bought by the city in the 19th century, this abbey is now classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site.