ABBAYE DE CLUNY

It's impossible to come all the way to Burgundy without stopping off in Cluny to visit a place steeped in history. The famous Abbaye de Cluny, a European Heritage site, invites you to take a trip back in time over 1100 years.

Back to medieval times, when it was the Major Ecclesia, the most important religious building in the West. The first abbey church (Cluny I), initially built in the ^10th century, soon proved too small to accommodate the many monks who flocked to the abbey because of its strong influence. One building site followed another, with the aim of creating a church capable of accommodating a thousand monks. Abbot Hugues de Semur built the third abbey church (Cluny III) between 1088 and 1130.

The Abbey of Cluny proved its supremacy throughout the world. First and foremost through its grandeur: 187 m long, almost 40 m high under the domes of the great transept, five naves... But also through its influence, which rallied almost 10,000 monks across Europe to the Cluniac order. The vast religious edifice would remain the largest church in Christendom for almost 400 years, until the construction of St. Peter's in Rome.

How, then, can it be imagined that the current building represents only 10% of the original edifice? In reality, if the abbey's rise was grandiose, its decline was slow and chaotic. Between financial problems, religious wars and looting during the French Revolution, the church gradually ran out of steam, until it was used as a stone quarry, leaving only the ruins we know today and falling into oblivion.

It wasn't until the early 20th^century that enthusiasts and historians brought it back to life. Thanks to a colossal effort of excavation and research, we can now measure the colossal impact of this edifice on Christian history. A stroll around the site reveals part of the south arm of the transept, which gives an idea of the gigantic size of the abbey church, as well as two ^15th-century abbey palaces and conventual buildings built in the ^18th century. The Ochier Museum houses remains and models of the former monastery and medieval village. 3D reconstructions and augmented reality animations punctuate the tour, allowing visitors to imagine centuries of life within these walls. And there's plenty for younger visitors too, who can have fun learning thanks to game booklets.