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Montmajour Abbey, formally the Abbey of St. Peter in Montmajour ((フランス語:Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour)), was a fortified Benedictine monastery built between the 10th and 18th centuries on what was originally an island five kilometers north of Arles, in what is now the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, in the region of Provence in the south of France. The abbey complex consists of six sections: * the hermitage, dating from the 11th century, which includes the Chapel of St. Peter; * the cloister, built during the 12th and 13th centuries; * the adjacent Chapel of the Holy Cross, built during the 12th century; * the fortified Monastery of St. Peter, built during the 14th century; * the Tower of Abbot Pons de l'Orme, dating from the same period; * the Maurist monastery, built in the 17th century. The abbey is noted for its 11th–14th-century graves, carved in the rock, its subterranean crypt, and its massive unfinished church. It was an important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, and in the 18th century it was the site of a large Maurist monastery, now in ruin. The abbey and the landscape around it were frequently painted and drawn by Vincent van Gogh. Today the ruins of the abbey are cared for as a historic monument by the ''Centre des monuments nationaux''. == Early history and legends of Montmajour == Until the late Middle Ages, Montmajour was an island, 43 meters above the surrounding terrain, protected by marshes and accessible only by boat. As early as the 3rd millennium BC the island was used as a cemetery, with individual graves carved into the rock. In the 9th and 10th centuries the island also served as a sanctuary for the local residents during invasions of the Saracens and the Normans.〔''The Abbey of Montmajour'', Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Aldo Bastié, Monum Editions de patrimoine, Centre des monuments nationaux, 2000.〕 During the Middle Ages, several legends arose about Montmajour and its founding. One legend said that the island had been the sanctuary of St. Trophimus, who had been sent from Rome by St. Peter to convert the Gauls. After coming to Arles in 46 AD, he took shelter in one of the caves on the island and received disciples there. A rock cell under the church is called "The Confessional of St. Trophimus." Until 943 the island belonged to the Church of St. Trophime in Arles. Another legend said that the graves were those of soldiers of Charlemagne, who had fought against the Saracens. A third legend said that the first church was founded by King Childebert I, the son of Clovis, when he saw the fervor of a group of hermits on the island. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Montmajour Abbey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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