We have driven all over this wonderful area of my belle France, and would like to have an imprint in my blog on the wonderful family times we had there, There is so much to see , doing my best, and glad found me this older picture in my cd rom vault, which now transposing in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on Marmagne and the Fontenay abbey !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The village of Marmagne is located in the Côte-d’Or department no. 21 in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of my belle France, Small with only 198 inhabitants and no City hall the thing to stop by us and see is the Cistercian Fontenay Abbey. It is the oldest preserved Cistercian abbey, characterized by its simple ornamentation. The village is located 3 km from the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay , 74 km from Dijon, 90 km from Beaune, 248 km from Versailles, and 677 km from my current home, I came here on my road warrior trails and stop briefly on from Versailles along Ave de Sceaux to Rue du Général Leclerc (D10) to Rue du Maréchal Joffre (D91) to get on the N12 dir Vélizy-Villacoublay which the road becomes the A86 and by Antony get on the A6b or Autoroute du Soleil becoming A6 dir Fontainebleau continue past Nemours and at Nitry exit 21 get on the D944 by Nitry centre continue on the D49 dir Noyers here road becomes D956 at Aisy sur Armaçon get on the D905 passing Saint Rémy to Montbard and get on the D980 which becomes again D905 to the abbey, This was a great thing to tell you about a magnificent monument if only a brief stop.
The Abbey Church of Fontenay was built from 1127 to 1150 according to a cruciform plan and proportions that make it considered a typical church of Cistercian architecture. It is 66 meters long, with the transept measuring 19 meters. The nave, 8 meters wide, is flanked by two aisles. The chancel, square in shape, is lower than the nave. The cloister is one of the most remarkable parts of the site. It measures 36 by 38 meters, the four galleries, while retaining a great deal of unity, present certain differences in construction. It is the heart of the abbey, because it is here that the monks devoted themselves to spiritual reading and where processions and the ritualized washing of the feet took place. The gallery located to the east led the monks to the offices, to the chapter house and to the dormitory by daylight stairs. The chapter house is where decisions concerning the community were taken after reading a chapter of the Rule of Saint Benedict, commented on by the Father Abbot. It opens onto the gallery of the cloister by a large arched arcade, flanked on each side by a double bay. In the extension of the chapter house and the parlor, is the monks’ room. This large room, covered with twelve ribbed vaults forming six bays, is 30 meters long. It was assigned to various tasks; it was undoubtedly in one of its parts that the copyist monks copied and illuminated the manuscripts. The dormitory occupies the entire floor of the monks’ building, above the various rooms of the gallery. It is served by a staircase at each end. the night staircase allowed direct access to the church for the morning service. The forge is located at the edge of the property, it measures 53 meters long by 14 meters wide, on ribbed vaults resting on central columns and walls on truncated pyramid bases. It was built by the monks at the end of the 12C. To the left of the abbey palace, the dovecote (see photo) borders the path leading to the church. The walls of its tower are more than a meter thick and its construction must date back to the 12C or 13C. On the other side of the path, two sculptures of dogs recall the location of the old kennel. The dogs of the Dukes of Burgundy who hunted in the forest were boarded there. Open to the public, much of it can be visited.
Other thing to see here if time is of essence, not mine is the Church Saint-Léonard from the 12-13C, was remodeled in the 17C, and then in the last century. After the French revolution, it became the “Temple of Reason” for ten years. In addition to a beautiful Romanesque bell tower topped with a slate spire, there is a stunning exterior staircase that provides access. A 19C fountain sits nearby, as does a square well with a curiously integrated pump in the rim.
A bit of history I like tell us that the Fontenay Abbey was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and received the name Fontenay because the site contained numerous springs. It was consecrated by the Cistercian Pope Eugene III on September 21, 1147 in the presence of ten cardinals, eight bishops and numerous abbots of the young Order, including that of Clairvaux. In 1170 a bull from Pope Alexander III confirmed the abbey’s property and allowed the monks to elect an abbot. In the 12C and 13C, the abbey was very prosperous, with the monks developing metallurgical and steelmaking activities there. In 1259, Saint Louis exempted the abbey from all taxes. In 1269, Fontenay became a royal abbey: Kings John II, then Charles VIII, and Louis XII confirmed this status. Despite this royal protection, the abbey was pillaged several times during the wars that ravaged Burgundy yet enjoyed increasing influence until the 16C. From this period, the establishment of the “commande” regime, abolishing the election of abbots by the monks in favor of beneficiaries chosen by the royal authority, marked the beginning of its decline. From the 18C, Fontenay Abbey was only a shadow of what it had been. In 1791,during the French revolution, the abbey was sold with all its land, taking advantage of the monks’ hydraulic installations, transforming it into a paper mill, which it remained for almost a century. In 1820, it became the property of Élie de Montgolfier (from the family of the inventors of the hot air balloon). Between 1905 and 1911, major restoration work was undertaken to restore its medieval appearance. In 2006, it was still in the hands of the Aynard family.
The official Abbaye de Fontenay : https://www.abbayedefontenay.com/en/
The local Montbardois tourist office on the abbey : https://www.ot-montbard.fr/patrimoine-et-sites-historiques/abbaye-de-fontenay/
The Beaune tourist office on the abbey: https://www.beaune-tourism.com/to-see-and-do/cultural-heritage/abbaye-de-fontenay-marmagne-en-4030954/
The Burgundy region tourist office on the abbey: https://www.burgundy-tourism.com/discover-burgundy/heritage-sites-and-museums/religious-heritage/unmissable-churches-and-religious-sites/fontenay-abbey-nature-heritage-and-silence/
There you go folks, a dandy area to explore and enjoy with the family, Memorable moments in passing by the little village of Marmagne, driving all over in my road warrior trails brings out sublime awesome spots with nice memorable family visits of yesteryear always remember and always looking forward to be back, eventually. Again hope you enjoy the post on Marmagne and the Fontenay abbey !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 