Cluny

The Abbey of Cluny is located in southern Burgundy.

With the few visible remains of the abbey, it is difficult to understand the importance and influence of Cluny on European history.

The beginning of the construction dates back to 910 by Guillaume le Pieux, Duke of Aquitaine.

The charter declared independence from the royalty, and within two hundred years, the Order of Cluny, has more than 10,000 monks and 1,450 monasteries following the order of Benoit.

The abbots of Cluny decided their own successors, and their power and influence grew. From 1088 to 1130, the monks built the most impressive church ever, taller than the Vatican, marking the beginning of Burgundian Roman art.

As often happens, the culmination of power marks the decline, corruption and deviation. Saint Bernard, a young monk from Dijon, leaves the order to return to the strict obedience of Cîteaux.

The war of religions and then the French Revolution finally destroyed the abbey in 1798; what remained was sold or dismantled.

Today there remain only a few pieces of structure to mark the evidence of what was Europe's most important religious building. The abbey and town is still a very interesting place to visit and appreciate it if you have a good guide or knowledge of Cluny.