The Thoronet Abbey

Description

In 1098, the Cistercian order was founded, which rejected urbanized life in favor of nature and a self-sustaining existence dedicated to labor, prayer, and contemplation. The rapidly expanding abbeys from the 12th century onwards followed this rule. The monks' daily life was inseparable from the place that hosted them: form took precedence over decoration, and abstraction over figuration. The Thoronet Abbey, established in the 1170s, is a perfect example of this intertwining of architecture and the divine world. It is one of the "Three Provençal Sisters" along with Sénanque and Silvacane.

The book's first part, "À la rencontre de..." (Meeting with...), discusses the history of the abbey's construction and the relationship between architecture and the Cistercian monastic life. The second part, "Regards sur..." (Views of...), explores the abbey and its constituent buildings through images (abbey church, cloister, etc.). In the last part, "Savoirs au-delà..." (Knowledge beyond...), the author addresses three themes: Cistercian abbeys in Provence, the Chalais order, close to the Cistercians, and Le Thoronet and contemporary creation (architecture, photography, literature, with a focus on Fernand Pouillon).