THE ABBEY OF SAINT MICHEL DE CUXA
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This abbey was once occupied by Cistercian monks, and since 1965, a community of Benedictines has been working on its restoration.
Although this magnificent abbey does not offer retreats or stays, its setting is highly conducive to instrospection. In 878, the Benedictines chose this place in the wake of the reconquest from the Arabs. The abbey, which was built in three periods between the 10th and 12th centuries, includes a vast pre-Romanesque church, a Romanesque bell tower with geminated bays, a crypt, a cloister and a pink marble tribune, all splendid examples of Romanesque sculpture from Roussillon. Thanks to the protection of the Counts of Cerdanya-Conflent and the influence of the abbots Garin and Oliba (founder of Montserrat), the abbey developed rapidly and enjoyed a vast expansion until the middle of the Middle Ages. Then, the intellectual and political role of the monastery declined and the French Revolution completed its decline. Cuxa was reborn from its ashes in 1919 and rightly underwent a vast restoration program. The abbey is now occupied by a community of Benedictines who maintain the monastic life initiated eleven centuries ago. Renowned for its exceptional acoustics, the abbey of Cuxa hosts every summer, in July and August, chamber music concerts as part of the famous Pablo Casals Festival. The site is just as enchanting and you should not hesitate to come with your family to visit the place and especially to walk along the river which flows below the abbey. The undergrowth and flowery meadows are a beautiful invitation to a bucolic picnic.
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