Abby

**SILVACANE ABBEY**
Abigail Campbell November 24, 2008 History Instructor/Louis Carrier

The Silvacane Abbey, an abbey of the Cistercian branch of the Benedictines, is located in the township of Le Rouque d’Anthéron in the Bouches du Rhône of southern France. The abbey, which is situated on the banks of the Durance river, is a sister to both the Abbey of Sénanque and Le Thoronet Abbey, being the only three Cistercian Abbeys in Provence **("Silvaca****ne Abbey/Wiki"**). They are often refered to as "Le Trois Seours de Provence" or "The Three Sisters of Provence". Located in a rural country town in the beautiful Rouque d’Anthéron, the Silvacane Abbey was dilapidated during the French Revolution. Having no use by monks this abbey church has gradually been restored for use by the public and as a historic landmark.

[[image:silvacaneabbey:400px-Wnetrze1.jpg width="211" height="315" align="right" caption="image 3"]]
The construction of the abbey church, which was first initiated by Cistercian Monks, begun during the year of 1175 CE and was thought to be primarily finished by 1230 CE **("Jewel of the Cistercian Art")**. Like its sister monasteries the Silvacane Abbey is located in a remote location away from any villages and busy streets. The chapter hall and the monastery room were the first to be built and secondly, after a short pause in the construction process due to unknown reasons, the cloister was constructed **("Silvacane Abbey/Wiki")**. The Silvacane Abbey was a prosperous monastery that received productive and crucial endowments making it an envy of the Benedictines in other areas of France. After being attacked several times and being plundered the monks were forced to abandon the abbey because of financial difficulty. After becoming property of the Aix Cathedral, during the 17th century, the abbey fell into a state of despair due to constant neglect. By 1846 the French state of Bouches du Rhône obtained the abbey and since it has ceased to continue its monastic activity **("Silvacane Abbey")** and in turn has become open to the public and is used as an area for special cultural traditions such as the famous “Piano Festival”. In addition to the new use of the building it underwent serious restoration during during the 1900’s.

[[image:silvacaneabbey:400px-Silvacane_Abbey_arch_base.JPG width="141" height="240" align="right" caption="image 5"]]
Being an extremely good demonstration of Romanesque Architecture the interior of the building is almost completely void of any decoration **("Jewel of the Cistercian Art").** The abbey is of basilica structure (latin cross shaped) having transepts, a stone barrel vault (nave) as well as a an apse and arches encasing the doorway and all of the windows. Instead of being designed as an elaborate aesthetically pleasing structure, the rocks that make up the building serves the purpose of uncomplicated but alluring decoration. Being an open and very simple building this basilica is vividly brightened with natural light from sun up to sun down giving the abbey a very peaceful, harmonious atmosphere. After undergoing changes during the 1990’s the building is home to a few gothic decorations, such as the one at right (image 5) that is located at the base of an archway in the cloister. Over all, even after restoration and renovations, the Silvacane Abbey is a magnificant, beautiful edifice that clearly represents the simplicity and basic structure of Romanesque Architecture.


 * WORKS CITED/EXTERNAL LINKS:**

"Jewel of the Cistercian Art." La Roque D'Antheron Official Town Website. 15 Nov 2008 . "Silvacane Abbey." Les Abbayes. 15 Nov 2008 . "Silvacane Abbey." Wikipedia. 15 Nov 2008 . "La Roque d'Antheron." ProvenceWEB. 15 Nov 2008 .


 * IMAGES CITED/EXTERNAL LINKS:**


 * image 1** -- [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Opactwo1.jpg]
 * image 2** -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bouches-du-Rh%C3%B4ne-Position.svg
 * image 3** -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wnetrze1.jpg
 * image 4** -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kr1.jpg
 * image 5** -- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/53/Silvacane_Abbey_arch_base.JPG/180px-Silvacane_Abbey_arch_base.JPG