Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Odilon de Cluny Mayeul de Cluny

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. I´ll upload some fotos of the capitals of the transepts. These carvings differ in style and may be older, as the church was probably built from east (apse) to west (facade). Christ (with a cross halo and a staff with a kind of procession cross) is in the center. The left side (compared to the right) is somehow chaotic. There are even two animals on the left. This capital may (!) depict the "Harrowing of Hell". In the time between Crucifixion and the Resurrection Christ descended into hell, bringing salvation to the righteous, who had died since the beginning. That would mean hell is left - heaven right.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. I´ll upload some fotos of the capitals of the transepts. These carvings differ in style and may be older, as the church was probably built from east (apse) to west (facade). I have no idea, what is depicted here. The person on the left is upside down. Is the large person (with a triumphal gesture?) in the center sitting on the small one? Is the left person going down to hell and the person in the center lifted up into heaven?

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. A mother protecting her child?

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. Another mysterious, enigmatic icon. That a devil is on a lion´s tail is not extraordinary, but what is on the right? A kneeling person - and above.... A head of a winged creature devouring the person directly with the throat?

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. Another mysterious, enigmatic icon. Vines catch men? The only thing I am sure of is, that the right person does not hold a corn cob, as corn was only known to Americans at that time.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. Two griffins, drinking from a chalice. The icon two birds or griffins drinking from a chalice (or fountain / "fons vitae") has roots into Greek and Roman iconopgraphy. In Christianity it developed into an Eucharistic symbol, associated with baptism and resurrection.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. A centaur hunting a mermaid is a very common icon in Romanesque art. Here the mermaid holds an arrow in his hand, so she is not helpless.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. Another workshop has created this capital (see previous uploads), that for me is very mysterious. The person in the center is flanked by people holding tools. I can see a spindle (?), two hammers and a scale.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. Two fork beards and a lion in between them a lion (?) with a very long split tongue.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. A renovation was done in the 15th century, but the interior structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. In 1793 French revolutionaries raged here with furor, destroyed the tombs and beheaded the sculptures, they believed to be connected to the Pope, Abbots or Bourbons. They did not touch (most of) the capitals. A "Master of the Beasts" handling two quadrupeds (lions?). Above him are two large birds with interlocking their long necks.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, crumbled, when the times got tougher in the next centuries. In the 15th century a gothic vault was installed over the central nave. The structure is still "clearly" Romanesque. It got recently renovated. Here is the left of the 5 aisles.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. The tombs of Saint Mayeul et Saint Odilon are back in the church since 2009. Mayeul (= Majolus) was the 4th, Odilon (= Odilo) was the 5th abbot of the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo "invented" and established the "All Souls' Day" (2. November), that was adopted in the whole Western church. In 1793 the tombs got desecrated during by French revolutionaries, who burnt the relics in public. During excavations in the early 2000s bits and pieces of the tombs were found - and so it got be reconstructed.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, got recently renovated. In the center (again since 2009) are the tombs of Saint Mayeul and Saint Odilo, the abbots of Cluny. The tombs, that got desecrated during the French Revolution, were reconstructed from the pieces found during excavations in the early 2000s.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. The church, probably built after the model of Cluny III, with five aisles structure and two transepts, got recently renovated. In the center (again since 2009) are the tombs of Saint Mayeul and Saint Odilo, the abbots of Cluny. The tombs, that got desecrated during the French Revolution, were reconstructed from the pieces found during excavations in the early 2000s.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage site soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. When the times got tougher in the next centuries, the large church crumbled. In the 15th century, the large narthex got demolished and a renovation was done. During the French Revolution the priory was closed down and largely dismantled. The church, seen from the garden, survived (as a parsih church) and still is measures 84 metres in length.

In 915 Aymar de Bourbon, ancestor of the House of Bourbon, gave land in Souvigny to the Cluny Abbey for the construction of a monastery. At that time the "Abbaye de Cluny" was just 5 years old, as it had been founded 910 by William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Pious"). Souvigny was one of the first priories, dependent from the Cluny Abbey, so it was known later as "one of the five eldest daughters of Cluny". Cluny developed into the most powerful abbey in the Middle Ages, when the Cluniac Reforms changed the monastic life in Europe. German historian Dr. Joachim Wollasch ("Cluny, Licht der Welt"), estimates that in its haydays, more than 10.000 monks were parts of this network´, that stretched all over Europe. The pelerinage to Santiago de Compostella was one of the great "themes", developed and strongly supported by Cluny. The priory in Souvigny, located about 130kms west of Cluny, was such an important convent, that two of the powerful abbots of Cluny, Majolus (+ 994) and Odilo (+ 1049) died here. Their graves were a place of pilgrimage soon after. To cope with the growing number of pilgrims, the priory´s church got enlarged already within the 10th century. When the times got tougher in the next centuries, the church crumbled. In the 15th century, the large narthex got demolished (only some arches survived in the wall on the right). Since then the church has the Gothic facade seen here.