MONTMAJOUR
. The former Benedictine abbey of Montmajour (Bouches-du-Rhône) originally consisted
of two churches, Saint-Pierre and Notre-Dame. Built at the end of the 10th century, only
Saint-Pierre exists in its original form. Notre-Dame was reconstructed in the late 12th
century, at which time the cloister, conventual buildings, and a chapel dedicated to the
Holy Cross were also constructed. The abbey began to decay as early as the 14th century.
A rock-hewn edifice, Saint-Pierre offers an example of a primitive monastery. One of
its most unusual features is a wooden cornice that trims the flat-stoned roof. A
rectangular vestibule features barrel vaulting. Although structurally awkward, the nave is
not devoid of harmony and el
Montmajour (Bouches-du-Rhône),
abbey. Photograph courtesy of
Whitney S.Stoddard.
egance. It consists of three Romanesque bays, covered by a vault of different types of
stone, that give way to a triumphal arch of the choir and an apse in cul-de-four. Twelve
columns support foliated and interlaced capitals. Adorned with an interlaced pilaster, the
corridor between the two chapels provides access to a cave in which, according to
tradition, the first monks dwelled. In a recessed vault is a stone chair called the
“Confessional of St. Trophimus,” (d. ca. 280), where the saint is said to have hidden
during Roman persecution.
Because of the slope of the hillside, Notre-Dame has an upper church and a lower
church on separate levels. With a polygonal-shaped exterior, Notre-Dame was rebuilt at
the end of the 12th century, replacing an 11th-century structure. The crypt is composed of
a vast transept with apsidioles and an apse surrounded by an ambulatory with radiating
chapels. The apse has a rectangular bay with barrel vaulting. Quadrilobed in plan, the
chapel of Sainte-Croix features a narthex, a high cupola, and vaulting in cul-de-four. One
door carries an inscription that falsely attributes the construction of the chapel to
Charlemagne.
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