Architecture and decorations

The foundations of the churches

All that remains of the priory church today is one bay, as the building was used as a stone quarry after the French Revolution. Archaeological work has managed to uncover the churches’ foundations. The first church dated back to the 9th century - this was a church with a single roofed nave, with a chancel surrounded by an ambulatory. This first church was transformed in the 10th century, covered with a stone vault. A new church was built slightly further north in the 11th century. It had a central nave flanked by sides with four bays and a transept, and its chancel was surrounded by radiating absidioles.

The foundations were listed as Historic Monuments in 1928.

11th century gate

This gate is one of the still-visible remains of the 11th century church along with the bays of the northern and southern sides. It houses sculpted decorations which have been dated to the 1090s, portraying Christ in the mandorla and the twelve Apostles.

The Philippe Auguste tower

The tower took its name from King Philippe II Auguste of France who had the monastery fortified at the start of his reign in 1180. This majestic tower stands around 21 metres tall, its walls are 2.25 m thick and it is made up of five levels. It was a key component of the monastery and town’s defence system.

After having being used as a prison in the 18th century, it was declared National Property in 1795 but remained unsold. In 1884, the municipal council voted for it to be destroyed in order to make way for a boulevard, although its listing as a Historic Monument the following year prevented this from happening. The so-called “Philippe-Auguste” tower is one of the last and most impressive of the military structures built by Philippe Auguste.

The cloister

The word “cloister’ comes originally from the Latin “claustrum”, which means an enclosed space. It is a place for meditation, and was designed as an area that communicated between all of the rooms in the monastery. The abbey’s cloister dates back to the late 15th or early 16th century. It was turned into sheds and warehouses during the 19th century, and lost the arches in its northern gallery.

The chapter house

The chapter house, communicating directly with the cloister, was a place that played an important part in monastic life. All of the monks] used to met there every morning to read and discuss a chapter from the Rule of Saint Benedict. The abbey’s chapter house is remarkable. Its ribbed vaults date back to the early 16th century and the lectern is cut right into the central pillar.

The chapel

Standing next to the chapter house is what is undoubtedly the former Saint Martin’s chapel, which was here before the arrival of the monks to whom it was given in around 875. As it is now, it dates back to the late 15th century, the time when it became the commendatory prior’s private chapel. A portion of the original flagging has been conserved.

The prior’s house

The prior’s house, the lordly residence of the commendatory priors, dates from the late 15th and early 16th century. It is remarkable because of its monumental nature and the interior decorations, and was used as accommodation for the parish clergy in the 19th and 20th centuries, until it was closed in 1993.

A narthex is a transitional area between the profane and the sacred. The narthex appeared in the early Christian era and is a special area for people who could not go into the church, such as catechumens (people who have not yet been baptised) or penitents. There were fonts installed inside so that baptisms could be held there.

The abbey’s narthex was added in the mid 12th century.

The sculpted decorations on the main door

The sculpted decorations date from the second quarter of the 12th century, right in the middle of the quarrel between Cluny and Cîteaux, while Pierre the Venerable was Abbot, and portrays the Apocalypse. Thus, the lintel is decorated with the twelve Apostles and the Virgin assisted by two angels. There are only three heads left, as all the figures have been mutilated or decapitated. The frieze is decorated with Biblical and historic figures such as David, King Boson, the Bishop of Valence and John the Baptist. On the tympanum there is Christ in glory and majesty inscribed in the mandorla, seated over heavenly Jerusalem, with two angels on either side of Him. They are accompanied by the Tetramorph, the symbol of the four Evangelists. The Paschal Lamb is depicted at the top of the archivolt.

To the right of the great grand gate, there is a semicircular bay window bearing three other sculpted scenes - an animal sacrifice evoking the sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem, the wedding at Cana, the six figures of the Transfiguration.

Listing and first restoration work in the 19th century

Thanks to the provisions of the will made by the last private owner of the narthex[1], it was restored between 1852 and 1854. The rough-hewn blocks damaged by humidity were replaced and the roofing was restored. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1862.

The moulding of the northern façade

In 1887, the Ministry of Public Education and the Fine Arts decided to go ahead with the moulding of a number of edifices including the northern façade of the Charlieu narthex. The recommended process is the piece moulding technique. Today the plaster mould is part of the collections of the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris and is on display in the main moulding gallery.

The 20th century restoration work

Weakened by humidity, pollution and lichens, a restoration operation was carried out on the building in 1989. The State commissioned the cleaning of the northern façade of the narthex, which helped to reveal the beauty of the sculpted decorations and to rediscover the colour which once embellished the gate.