ABBAYE FONTFROIDE

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Title	ABBAYE FONTFROIDE
Alternate Title	Frontfroide Abbey
View	Court of Honor (1777-78), view of the main door and adjacent windows
Notes	religious
Work Type	Cistercian abbey monastery church religious complex castrum
Style/Period	Romanesque Gothic
Major Design Aspects	complex of various buildings organic growth over time
Elements & Spatial Types	court cloister
Climate Type	Mediterranean
Country	France
City	near Narbonne
Architectural Material	stone
Dates	1093 through 18C
Century	11C-18C
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision
Date Photographed	7/1/1995
Subject Information	The Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide is located 30km southwest of Narbonne, France, and was begun in 1093 under the authorization of the Viscount Aymeric 11 of Narbonne. Details of the origins of the abbaye remain sketchy but the name of the abbey is connected to the 'fons frigida', a highly protected source of water in the vicinity. The monks living in the monastery broke their traditional solitude during the rise of catharism in this area and built 'castrums' or protective fortresses in the vicinity to ensure their survival during this period of religious upheaval. Fontfroide played a major role during the crusades and served to protect Catholic interests. The building was built in such a fashion that the Cistercian monks who practiced austerity in all aspects of their lives did not have to connect with the outside world. Accordingly the garden, the mill and even the water system were all accessible within the confines of the monastery. In order to cultivate more efficiently the local land, the monks developed a series of barns in the area that were operated by a second category of monks who were manual laborers or 'illetrati' but who did not have the superior spiritual value of their literate brothers. During the 13th and 14th centuries the monastery was in full expansion due in large part to the financial contribution of Olivier de Termes who some believe is buried in the cemetery of the Abbey. The monastery began its decline in the 15th century when papal authority gave less power to the monks to run their property and transferred control to a series of families from the 1500's to the 1700's. These various families put their personal touches on the monastery inculding an Italian-inspired garden in the Court of Honor believed to have been added in the early to mid 1600's. In 1764, Louis the 14th put an end to this land title system and the monastery passed to the local diocese. By the end of the 1700's, the monks had strayed from their austere origins and were in the business of making money from the many foods and wines that they produced. The Romanesque architecture was Inc.reasingly modified in good taste by the monks who greatly embellished the complex. After the French Revolution, the abbey became the property of the state and any revenue generated went to the hospices of Narbonne. As money depleted, architectural elements of the building were sold off until it was eventually sold to private interests by the Narbonne hospices. Viollet-le-Duc had the abbey classed as a national monument in 1843. In 1858 a small group of Cisternian monks inhabited the Monastery again beginning in 1901 was again sold to a series of private owners inculding the present one who lives on the property but allows the visiting public entry to the monastery. Researched for Archivision by Claude Picard
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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