Founded in 910, Cluny Abbey once led the largest monastic order in the medieval West. Its remains, at the heart of a small town in Saône-et-Loire, lie 34 km from the campsite, beyond the Mâconnais vineyards.
The monastery that led medieval Europe
Cluny Abbey was founded in 910 by William, Duke of Aquitaine, who placed it directly under the authority of the Pope. Under a succession of abbots it became the head of the largest monastic order in the medieval West, with monasteries all over Europe. Towards the end of the 11th century, Abbot Hugh of Semur began building a vast abbey church, some 187 metres long. It remained the largest church in the Western world until the new St Peter’s Basilica was built in Rome in the 16th century.
What remains of the abbey
After the French Revolution, the buildings were sold off and the great church was demolished from 1798, then used as a stone quarry. Only a small part survives, yet it is still striking: the south arm of the great transept, crowned by the Eau-Bénite bell tower, gives a sense of the scale of what was lost. The visit also takes in the abbey walls and main gateway, the 18th-century great cloister, Abbot Jean de Bourbon’s funerary chapel and the farinier, a former granary with a remarkable timber roof. The museum of art and archaeology completes the picture. Run by the Centre des monuments nationaux, the abbey holds the European Heritage Label.
Exploring the town
The town grew up in the shadow of the monastery. The tourist office is housed in the Tour des Fromages, an old tower in the abbey walls: its 120 steps lead to a fine view over the town and the abbey remains. Part of the abbey buildings is now home to a campus of the Arts et Métiers engineering school, while the national stud, founded under Napoleon I, occupies another part of the former estate.
Getting there from the campsite
Cluny is about 34 km from Camping Les Ripettes. You cross the Saône at the Fleurville bridge, then the road winds through the wine villages of the Mâconnais before dropping down into the Grosne valley. Brancion, with its Romanesque church and castle, is about 20 km away, so the two visits fit easily into one day. Opening times and prices vary with the season and are best checked on the abbey’s official website.