Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: The Cloisters

The monastery was originally founded in 1166 by the Counts of L'Urgell. The monastery became the most important Premonstratensian community in Catalonia. Always under the protection of the Earls of Urgell, he held important holdings that stretched across the region. The activity in the monastery ended with its confiscation in 1835. It passed into private hands. One of its owners sold the surviving sarcophagi of Counts Ermengol VII and his wife Dolça, Ermengol X, and the Vicomte Àlvar de Cabrera, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Cloisters") in New York. However, the cloister of the original 12th-century monastery has been preserved.

Abbaye Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa has a long and winding history, starting in 840, when near the river Tet "Sant Andreu d'Eixalada" was founded. This small abbey was washed away during a flood already soon after. The monks moved to nearby Cuixa, where in 879, abbot Protasius (he came from Urgell) and Miro the Elder, count of Conflent and Roussillon (and brother of Wilfred the Hairy) signed the founding treaty of the new monastery. Under protection and influence of the Counts of Cerdanya the abbey gained importance. A large complex was built over the next century. In 974 a monk from Cluny (!) consecrated the main altar of the new church, dedicated to Saint Michael. Since 961 abbot Garin led the monastery. He was a perfectly connected intellectual figure, friend of Gerbert d'Aurillac (later Pope Sylvester II). At that time Pietro I Orseolo, formerly the Doge of Venice and later a venerated Saint, joined the community as well as Saint Romuald, later the founder of the congregation of Camaldolese. Influental and powerful Oliba (971-1046), descendant of Wilfred the Hairy, count of Berga and Ripoll and later bishop of Vic and abbot here kept the place in the political center of the County of Barcelona. He had founded a couple of monasteries (eg. Montserrat), had been a political adviser and was a well travelled man. He had been impressed by the architecture he had seen in Italy and was heavily involved in the architectonial process, transforming the pre-romanesque complex, started by his predecessors. Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa lost the importance it once had and during the next centuries. There was a row of self-confident abbots, without any interest in monastical traditions. The French Revolution ended that - and the last monk fled 1793, just before the revolutionists ruined the place with great effort. The abbey was sold afterwards by the government - and another story started. The abbey fell in disrepair. The cloister, erected 1130-1140, was still complete in the 1780s. After the Revolution the new owner had different plans, as he needed a water basin, and reckoned the cloister the perfect place. In 1841, the owner tried to sell the cloister to Perpignan, where it should find a place in the garden of the archbishop, but the negotiation failed. At that time 37 pillars and capitals were still in situ. Soon after the cloister was taken apart. Most carvings were sold to people in nearby Prades, to beautify their gardens. Around 1905 an American sculptor, living in France, opened an antique trade. He tracked down the scattered pieces of the cloister - and started to buy them sucessfully. He was proud, that in the end he had the major part of the cloister, having spent about 3000 US$. To cut the story short, most of the pillars, arcades and capitals are now in New York, where the joined the cloisters from Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and Bonnefont. They are all part of "The Cloisters", once founded and financed by John D. Rockefeller, now part of the "Metropolitan Museum of Art". The large fountain, that was the center of this cloister once, can now be seen in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There te fountain is the center of a cloister, that once was in Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines. The Cloisters: www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters/ Philadelphia Museum of Art www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/42060.html There must have been a workshop of carvers within the 10th century, that probably worked near the quarries in Villefranche-de-Conflent, where the marble was cut. This workshop developed a distinctive artistic style, that can be seen as well in the prieuré de Serrabone and in Saint-Martin-du-Canigou. An ape or monkey with some dirt in its right pupil.

Some Abbot Sentimir started to build an abbey here end of the 8th century. The abbey got looted and damaged by "heathens" (Marcel Durliat suspects Normans). From 981 on it was rebuilt by order of King Lothair of France, son of Louis IV of France (aka "Transmarinus"). The abbey slipped under the protection of the Counts of Roussillon and later of the Kings of Aragon. The church was enlarged and re-consecrated in 1153. Since 1088 the abbey was connected to Cluny in Burgundy. The facade of the fromer abbey church has a white marble lintel over doors of the former abbey church depicting a theophany. For Doyen Marcel Durliat, author of "Roussilion roman", this relief marks the begin of Romanesque sculpturing within the Roussilion. Thanks to an inscription on that lintel (see previous uploads) it is known, that it was carved in 1019. The Benedictian abbey existed upto the French Revolution, when the monks had to leave. The abbey church serves as a parish church "Saint Michel" since 1846. Of course, the abbey had a cloister. It was built on the foundation of an older one - and was completed in 1271. This cloister was sold after the French Revolution to new owners, who had built there homes (and stables) into the structure. Early 20th century some sly business men roamed the area looking for treasures. So - the polygonal fountain of the cloister was sold in 1913. Meanwhile the fountain can be admired in "The Cloisters" in New York. In 1924 some Paul Gouvert bought most of the cloister. Only one of the owners resisted. He had integrated the arcades into his living room. Mr. Gouvert must have had David Copperfield´s talents, as after a short while he gave two arcades (for free!) to the Louvre in Paris, sold one cloister to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and another one to the owner of a Renaissance chateau in Northern France. In 1982 the owner of the chateau sold the cloister back. It got dismantled and brought back, where it joined the arcades from the Louvre two years later. The arcades in Philadelphia now got copied and in 1986 two side were completed. Only the owner of the southern corner still resisted to cooperate. Finally in 1994 the restauration was completed and since then it is open to the public. I learned that by now only the former chapter-house of the abbey is still a private living room. The artistic style of the capitals is very rough (for mid 13th century), - the stories, symbols, icons are mystic. Obviously the many workshops having existed in the area (Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Espira-de-l'Agly, Elne, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Prieuré de Serrabone) a century ago, had given up business or moved on. Just like in nearby Elne (10kms) here are many mermaids. The maids seen here are way clumsier than their slender relatives in Elne. But just like them, they have attracted vandals. The relationship between mermaids and vandals is not yet fully researched. Didn´t Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, say anything about that? This one was pretty lucky, as only the nose got lost. It paid, to wear a protective helmet!

Some Abbot Sentimir started to build an abbey here end of the 8th century. The abbey got looted and damaged by "heathens" (Marcel Durliat suspects Normans). From 981 on it was rebuilt by order of King Lothair of France, son of Louis IV of France (aka "Transmarinus"). The abbey slipped under the protection of the Counts of Roussillon and later of the Kings of Aragon. The church was enlarged and re-consecrated in 1153. Since 1088 the abbey was connected to Cluny in Burgundy. The facade of the fromer abbey church has a white marble lintel over doors of the former abbey church depicting a theophany. For Doyen Marcel Durliat, author of "Roussilion roman", this relief marks the begin of Romanesque sculpturing within the Roussilion. Thanks to an inscription on that lintel (see previous uploads) it is known, that it was carved in 1019. The Benedictian abbey existed upto the French Revolution, when the monks had to leave. The abbey church serves as a parish church "Saint Michel" since 1846. Of course, the abbey had a cloister. It was built on the foundation of an older one - and was completed in 1271. This cloister was sold after the French Revolution to new owners, who had built there homes (and stables) into the structure. Early 20th century some sly business men roamed the area looking for treasures. So - the polygonal fountain of the cloister was sold in 1913. Meanwhile the fountain can be admired in "The Cloisters" in New York. In 1924 some Paul Gouvert bought most of the cloister. Only one of the owners resisted. He had integrated the arcades into his living room. Mr. Gouvert must have had David Copperfield´s talents, as after a short while he gave two arcades (for free!) to the Louvre in Paris, sold one cloister to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and another one to the owner of a Renaissance chateau in Northern France. In 1982 the owner of the chateau sold the cloister back. It got dismantled and brought back, where it joined the arcades from the Louvre two years later. The arcades in Philadelphia now got copied and in 1986 two side were completed. Only the owner of the southern corner still resisted to cooperate. Finally in 1994 the restauration was completed and since then it is open to the public. I learned that by now only the former chapter-house of the abbey is still a private living room. The artistic style of the capitals is very rough (for mid 13th century), - the stories, symbols, icons are mystic. Obviously the many workshops having existed in the area (Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Espira-de-l'Agly, Elne, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Prieuré de Serrabone) a century ago, had given up business or moved on. Just like in nearby Elne (10kms) rhere are many mermaids in Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines. The maids seen here are way clumsier than their slender relatives in Elne. But just like them, they have attracted vandals. The relationship between mermaids and vandals is not yet fully researched. Didn´t Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, say anything about that? This mermaid, flanked by pine cones and birds (or sirens), lost the face.

The cloister of the abbey - or maybe better, what is left of it. At the end of the medieval times, the community was not in a really good shape. In 1569, during the wars of religion, protestant troops pillaged the abbey, that later was the property of the "Congregation of St. Maur". 1789, during the French Revolution, only six monks lived here. They had to leave, as the buildings were sold as national property. The church became parish church at that time. Small enterprises moved in, most of the buildings were used as a quarry. Half of the cloister "vanished", only two sides are still there. A citizen of Aniane bought the carved capitals of the cloister for his garden. When he died, his son sold them to an art-dealer in Paris. In the end, most of these carvings were sold to New York, where John D. Rockefeller II., bought them in 1905 for some 60.000$, forming with them (and others) "The Cloisters", now a branch the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So if you want to see the original medieval capitals from this cloister - fly to New York. Here are the details: www.metmuseum.org/Works_Of_Art/department.asp?dep=7 Meanwhile a small collection of artwork found later in and around the abbey, including the tomb of St. Guilhelm, are in a little "lapidarium" next to this cloister.