ABBAYE SAINT-PIERRE DE MOISSAC

Moissac Abbey owes its international renown to the artistic heritage bequeathed by the former Benedictine abbey of Saint-Pierre. Although legend attributes its foundation to Clovis, it seems more likely that it was the work of Saint-Didier, bishop of Cahors in the 7th century. Its first golden age dates back to the ^11th and ^12th centuries, following its affiliation to the Abbey of Cluny in 1047. This period saw a succession of great abbots, notably Dom Ansquitil, to whom we owe the construction of the cloister, almost unique in the world for its complete preservation. Its four galleries open onto 116 columns adorned with 76 historiated capitals, illustrating some 50 scenes from the Bible and Church history. On the corner pillars, effigies of the apostles complete the cloister's remarkable iconography. The porch tower and famous tympanum are attributed to Blessed Roger. In the ^13th century, Raymond de Montpezat and Bertrand de Montaigu, the great abbot-builders, continued the architectural work. The Gothic part of the abbey church was completed in the ^15th century. The secularization of the abbey in 1626 marked the departure of the Benedictine monks, who had been present in Moissac for almost a thousand years. Under the commendation system, they were replaced by Augustinian canons. The French Revolution put an end to monastic life. Classified as a historic monument in the ^19th century, the cloister today benefits from attentive care, perpetuating the memory of an exceptional heritage.