Last modified: 2005-03-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: nievre | charite-sur-loire (la) | fleurs-de-lys: 3 (yellow) | towers: 3 (white) |
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![[Flag of La Charite]](../images/f/fr-58-lc.gif)
by Arnaud
Leroy
See also:
The city of La Charité-sur-Loire (5,500 inhabitants), as can be
expected from its name, developed around a priory built by monks from
Cluny on the right bank of the river Loire, between Nevers and Orléans.
La Charité is located on the RN 7 (Route Nationale 7), which was the
main road between Paris and the French Mediterranean areas before the
building of the highway A7. The RN7 succeded the Route Royale (Royal
Road), which had itself succeded one of the main pilgrimage trails to
Santiago.
Around 1059, the local lord of La Marche and a monk from the powerful
abbey of Cluny decided to rebuild a small convent, originally built by
monks of the St. Basile's order near the village of Seyr (maybe the Sun
City). Both the convent and the village were trashed by the Sarracens
at the end of the VIIIth century.
The order of Cluny was founded in Burgundy in 910 by Duke of Aquitaine
Guillaume le Pieux (the Pious), who owned there the County of Mâcon.
The founding chart of the Order of Cluny stated it depended directly
of the Holy See and was independent of the local powers; being located
quite far from Rome, Cluny was de facto completely independent. Cluny
followed the Benedictine rule, according which most time was dedicated
to prayer. Cluny was a very stable foundation and attracted several
people who wished to escape the complicated political situation of the
time (beginning of the feudality and decline of the royal power).
In the beginning of the XIIth century, the Order ruled 1,450 houses and
10,000 monks in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain. The success
of Cluny was mostly due to its great abbots (Sts. Odon,
Mayeul, Hugues and Pierre le Vénérable), who were able to maintain a
very centralized control on the complete Order by setting up a very
hierarchized ruling system. At that time, the Abbot of Cluny was much
more most powerful than the Pope, who "hired" him as his spiritual and
political guide. The abbey church of Cluny was the biggest Christian
church in the world until the rebuilding of St. Peter's basilica in
Rome.
The Order of Cluny became very wealthy and progressively drifted away
from St. Benedict's rule, causing the Cistercian reform led by St.
Bernard de Clairvaux. The decline of Cluny started in the XIVth
century, when the abbots mostly stayed in Paris; the abbey was trashed
during the Religious Wars and nearly completely destroyed in 1798.
The Order of Cluny sent 100 monks, who built a priory and two churches, the big Notre-Dame's church, which was consecrated by Pope Pascal II on 9 March 1107, and the smaller St. Laurent's church. As said above, the priory