Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey
Encyclopedia
Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery
in south-west France
, founded in 1144. Today, the abbey houses a museum of contemporary art
. It is located in the commune of Ginals
in the north-east of the Tarn-et-Garonne
department, Midi-Pyrénées
. The abbey was sometimes called abbey of Belloc.
of Rouergue
, the abbey was founded by the bishop of Rodez, Adhémar III. The buildings were heightened in the 17th centuries, but then fell in to decline by the 18th century, when the cloister was demolished. At the time of the French Revolution
, the monastery was closed and the buildings sold, to be converted into a farm. Part of the buildings were dismantled. In 1875 the buildings were first classed as a monument historique
. It was purchased in 1960 by M. Brache and Mme. Bonnefoi, who carried out important restoration work, aided by the Caisse des monuments historique et des sites (currently the Centre des monuments nationaux
). In 1973, they gifted the abbey, together with an important collection of modern art, to the French state. The abbey was then transformed into a centre for contemporary art, and today is the most important museum of contemporary art in the Midi-Pyrénées area, with works by artists including Henri Michaux
, Jean Dubuffet
, and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
, as well as regional artists.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in south-west France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, founded in 1144. Today, the abbey houses a museum of contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
. It is located in the commune of Ginals
Ginals
Ginals is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.Some of the oldest inhabitants are able to speak in the local patois, an ancient language of the area....
in the north-east of the Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne is a French department in the southwest of France. It is traversed by the Rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name.-History:...
department, Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
. The abbey was sometimes called abbey of Belloc.
History
Located in the valley of the River Seye, in the old provinceProvinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
of Rouergue
Rouergue
Rouergue is a former province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan and on the west by Quercy...
, the abbey was founded by the bishop of Rodez, Adhémar III. The buildings were heightened in the 17th centuries, but then fell in to decline by the 18th century, when the cloister was demolished. At the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the monastery was closed and the buildings sold, to be converted into a farm. Part of the buildings were dismantled. In 1875 the buildings were first classed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
. It was purchased in 1960 by M. Brache and Mme. Bonnefoi, who carried out important restoration work, aided by the Caisse des monuments historique et des sites (currently the Centre des monuments nationaux
Centre des monuments nationaux
The Centre des monuments nationaux is a French government body which conserves, restores, and manages historic buildings and sites which are the property of the French state...
). In 1973, they gifted the abbey, together with an important collection of modern art, to the French state. The abbey was then transformed into a centre for contemporary art, and today is the most important museum of contemporary art in the Midi-Pyrénées area, with works by artists including Henri Michaux
Henri Michaux
Henri Michaux was a highly idiosyncratic Belgian-born poet, writer, and painter who wrote in French. He later took French citizenship. Michaux is best known for his esoteric books written in a highly accessible style, and his body of work includes poetry, travelogues, and art criticism...
, Jean Dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...
, and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva was a Portuguese-French abstractionist painter.-Life:Vieira da Silva was born in Lisbon, Portugal. At the age of eleven she had begun seriously studying drawing and painting at that city's Academia de Belas-Artes...
, as well as regional artists.
External links
- Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey, Centre des monuments nationaux (English language website)