Le Prieuré

Le Prieuré (The Priory) is my home. I have lived here for the past three months ~ in a medieval cloister snuggled on top of a hill in the middle of a quaint little village. I really could not think of a better place to spend my time in France. You may ask how this little old Priory came into existence, and why it is so important to the village?

In the eleventh century, a church and priory were built by the Benedictine Order on a hill in Ambialet, while the village had become established below.  Many centuries later, in 1860, the priory was bought by a Franciscan friar, Father Clausade. He restored the monastery of the Priory for Third Order Franciscans and also the attached Romanesque chapel of Notre-Dame-de-L’Oder. He also established a seminary school for young boys.

The Priory Overlooking Ambialet
© Tales of a Flaneur

The seminary school for boys was very hard.  Getting up at the crack of dawn was followed by shirtless gymnastics in the yard, regardless of the weather!  After, they went to Mass and later to classes. Following meals, they recited seventy Hail Mary’s in the cloister with the monks. Only after this could they enjoy some recreation time!  Their favorite day was Pentecost because they sang for the multitude who came there on pilgrimage. The seminary boarding school closed around 1960. Alumni still come today to see how the place is changed and to find the exact spot in which they slept at night.

Currently, the Priory is leased by Saint Francis University. Significant restorations have been made, which makes staying there a much more pleasant experience!  Many students come each year and experience the wonderful joys of the rural area of Ambialet. The villagers say that we have brought light into their lives. They enjoy being able to look up on the hill and see lights on in the priory. It brings them great joy to know that the once abandoned building is now being put to such good use! The people of Ambialet look forward to new groups of students coming here each semester, and to being able to share Ambialet's history with each of them. We have certainly learned a lot about this town over the past three months, and have come to greatly respect its history and its people. We have felt so very welcomed and have enjoyed our time here!

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[Spectacle son & lumière d’Ambialet 2008: Texte redige du spectacle]

Mills

Oh Bread! One of France's most necessary piece of food. Bread has always been of importance to French culture. In order to make bread and other products, mills are necessary to grind the grain.

Ambialet had two mills. The first was the “Lease of the Moulin de la Resse” in 1654. The millers had to pay an entry fee to the owner to use his mill. This allowed a source of revenue to the town to keep it alive and well.


The other mill was “Le Moulin de Bonneval” which was still functioning until 1955! It was mainly used to grind barley and oats for animals. The wheels of the mill can still be seen at the foot of the Mill today. In 1955, it would be thought that a mill would be of little importance in the area. The mill portrays how the people had little means of transportation in the time.This shows how cut off Ambialet was from the rest of the world; the closest town is 20 kilometers away! 

In order for each of these mills to operate, the Tarn River was of great importance. Each mill was powered by the wheel spinning in the water due to the flow of the river. The waterfall also allowed for the owner to heat his home.

Hydro-Electric Plant

©Tales of a Flaneur

Today, there is a hydro-electric plant in Ambialet. It can be recognized by the large pink building in the middle of town. Work was started in 1917 and the dam was completed in 1923. The hydro-electric plant is a power supply to the mines, factories, and the town of Ambialet.

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[Ambialet prestíqíeux et secret, "Les Moulins", p. 23 & 24]

Religion & Churches in Ambialet

Religion shapes the way that we live our lives and how society views others. Many French people consider themselves to be Catholic, but it is not common for all to to go to a weekly church service. Roman Catholicism was France’s state religion until 1905, when a new law of the Third French Republic mandated the separation between Church and State.

There have been a total of five churches in Ambialet:

• Eglise de Lacondomine was designed by Jean-Baptiste Vergnes (1829-1886). The Romanesque bell tower has been recently restored albeit the church itself no longer stands.

• Eglise de Bonneval collapsed in 1867 and it was later reconstructed in neo-Gothic style. It is no longer in use today.

Remains of Eglise Saint-Gilles    © Tales of a Flaneur 

• Notre-Dame-de-la-Capelle was built near the former Trencavel Castle. This church was strictly used as a private chapel by  these Lords from 1388 to 1762. After the siege of the 1860s, it became a parish church. Today, it is in ruins. 

• Eglise Saint-Gilles was the first parish church, which was so named because the Lords of Ambialet, the Trencavel family, worshiped this saint.  This church was built in the 11^th century and it was devoted to one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages, Saint Gilles. The steeple is perched on a platform based on the remains of a Roman fort.  It was burned to the ground in the Wars of Religion. Today, it now serves as an exhibition hall for the works of local painters, artists, photographers, and so on.

• Notre-Dame-de-L'Oder is a Romanesque chapel which is the only church in use today. It is located at the top of a hill which overlooks the village of Ambialet. It was built in 1057. In 1866, it was restored by Father Clausade, the Franciscan Friar who restored the Priory. The church is alive and well today with many villagers attending the 11:15 a.m. mass and it boasts a lively choir.  

© Tales of a Flaneur

These five churches show that religious life and communal worship has always been very important in Ambialet. The town itself was not free of heresy, and did get entangled in the politics of the Albigensian Crusades ~ mainly because the Trencavel had Cathar sympathies. But Ambialet would prosper in the aftermath of these Crusades, thanks to the ingenuity and leadership of the town consuls.

Today, pilgrims coming to Ambialet very much enjoy the Stations of the Cross, installed by the Friars along the route to the priory, that is, from the bottom of the hill (base of the village) to the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-L'Oder at the top. It’s definitely a bit of a climb with the rocky trail cutting into stone cliffs! According to legend, there was once a lady who was barren and prayed to God for children. She followed the Stations of the Cross up the hill on her knees all the while being in deep prayer. It is said that she later went on to have eleven children! The Stations are a pilgrimage route in use today. 

If you are ever in Ambialet, it’s worth the trek up to the top of the hill to visit the Chapel ~ the view is absolutely breathtaking!

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["Les Eglises" in Ambialet prestígíeux et secret, pp. 25-26]

The Albigensian Crusades

Imagine a time in which the principles and doctrine of the Christine faith were little understood by most people, and what little you understood of your own religion was being challenged and contested by others - "unbelievers." Imagine controversies erupting in churches because of the doctrinal disputes. Imagine a host of different preachers on the streets trying to win audiences and adherents.  This happened in the early 13^th century, when the problem of heresy was becoming widespread in Europe.  In southwest France, the largest group of heretics were the "Cathars." Among their shared beliefs, they held there to be two, very different Gods: one who was good and ruled over the spiritual world; and, the other, who was evil and ruled over the material world.  The Cathars attracted many followers in the south; within time, they were viewed as an ‘evil rival’ to the Catholic Church.  The emergence of this heresy, and the religious controversies sparked by it, eventually lead to religious warfare.

Cathars expelled from Carcassonne

The Albigensian Crusades (1209–1229) were a 20-year military campaign called by Pope Innocent III on behalf of the Catholic Church to eliminate the Cathar heresy in region of Languedoc. This was made possible because there was no separation of Church and State at this time. Therefore, large armies might be mobilized in the name of faith, and such wars justified along religious grounds.

Many cities were effected by these Crusades: many of these places we visited this semester ~ Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Narbonne, and Moissac.

Many heretics tried to flee and hide from the crusaders. Some even came to Ambialet to hide in the "Cluzels" ~ shelters dug in the earth to provide protection. There were over 200 Cluzels in the Ambialet area. Unfortunately, neighbors and church officials found most of these heretics and brought them to Inquisitors.  As well, the Trencavel family, who long ruled this region, lost power because of their Cathar sympathies.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, the Albigensian Crusades did not greatly reduce the Cathars or their influence.  Some have argued that, in fact, the opposite happened.  What did eventually have effect was the creation and institutionalization of the Medieval Inquisition - a tribunal established by the Roman papacy, in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusades, to deal with the continuing problem of heresy.  

Religion has always been and always will be of importance in Southern France. 

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[Joseph R. Strayer, The Albigensian Crusades]

["Le Cluzel" in Ambialet prestígíeux et secret, p. 21]

Trencavel Family

Trencavel Coat of Arms

When you ask someone what their dream is, the largest response will be to win the lottery, buy a nice car, and own an island. That sounds like a pretty good dream to me. Well, what if that really did happen, minus winning the lottery, but having money at your constant disposal. Imagine yourself as part of the Trencavel family.

The Trencavel was an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10^th - 13^th centuries. They were the viscounts of Albi and many other surrounding areas. The Trencavels had a significant amount of land in the center of Languedoc which was surrounded by land of the Counts of Barcelona and the Counts of Toulouse. The Trencavels allied with the Counts of Barcelona and gained much power. 

The Trencavel family ruled Ambialet at this time. They had a great Château atop a mountain. With Ambialet being a Presqu’île, the Trencavel was able to control trade and communication. They charged large sums of money to pass through their waters and allowed only the passing of certain goods. From which, great revenue was accumulated.

Though, at this time, heresy was growing significantly. The family took advantage of the Cathar heretics, and was of the first to have the Albigensian Crusades launched against them.

As a result of the Albigensian Crusades, the Trencavel Family lost all their lands and titles. Ambialet then had to learn to live and grow as a community without the noble family governing their area.

The Trencavel family seems to have had it pretty well, besides loosing all their wealth, but I think anyone would be content living the life that they did for a several hundred years while ruling many lands.

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[www.languedoc-france.info, The House of Trencavel]

[Ambialet prestíqíeux et secret, "La Fin Des Trencavel", p. 8]

Country of Water

"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink" is a famous quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This quote is anything but true about Ambialet!  The village boasts many deep springs in its hills, which were once a valuable source of water for the inhabitants!  Springs were found along the rocky cliffs, and one can still see cisterns that were built to capture this water.  These springs were an important resource for the people who lived high up, in rocky huts and caves, because they would not have to fetch water from the Tarn River and carry it all the way back up the hill! While these springs are no longer in use today, they are nevertheless regarded as an important artifact of local history.

Font du Drac

The ancients called one of these springs, "Font du Drac." It was located in a high rocky cliff, a most improbable place in which to find a spring... so improbable that people thought that it was made by diabolical means.  Legend holds that a demonic being called "Drac" angered the Dragon of the Apocalypse of Saint John, which resulted in a third of the stars cast down upon the earth.  One of these stars landed and formed the "Font du Drac." It seems that this legend was used in creative ways by the locals.  For instance, grandmothers used to threaten disobedient children that they would hand them over to 'Drac,' hence they would drown, if they did not shape up!  This myth is still told to this day, and thus children are taught to fear the power of Drac!

“Ambialet, country of water, again and always a place of life.”

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["Les Fontaines" (pp. 29-30) and "La Font du Drac" (pp. 5-6)  in Ambialet prestígíeux et secret] 

Origin of Ambialet's Name

Seal of Ambialet

Have you ever wondered how things are named? Many people enjoy tracing their family name back in time to see where they have come from and to find out the significance of their name. Well, what about towns? Their names must have some sort of meaning, too.

Let's trace the name of "Ambialet" back in time. The word itself has Gallic (Celtic) and Latin roots:

From the Gallic language comes ambileto, which means ‘ring yoke.’

From Latin comes ambi meaning ‘around’ and leto meaning ‘flow.’

Ambialet is a Presqu’ île, meaning ‘almost island.’  Therefore, these words were put together to form the name Ambialet in which water flows around the town. Very clever!

Latin was the spoken and written language of the Romans, who governed this part of France (and most of Europe) for centuries, until roughly the 5th century.  Gallic was the language spoken by the "Gauls," peoples who had settled in the region of France before the Roman period. That Ambialet has both Gallic and Latin roots tells us something about the union and mixing of different peoples and cultures in this region many centuries ago.

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["Les Fontaines" in Ambialet prestígíeux et secret,  p. 29]

Myth of Ambialet

You may wonder how Ambialet came to be what it is today. Let’s take a broad step back in time. It all began like the other fairy tales we have learned to love ~ with a giant. The ancients say that this giant, "Gargantua," was strolling through the countryside, stepping from one hill to another. The journey was tiring and it made Gargantua very thirsty. At some point, he leaned down and drank a river whole! Upon feeling a little twig sticking on his tongue, he spit there, and out came a cart loaded with hay and pulled by oxen, which peacefully crossed the river! While taking more great strides, a little stone got stuck in the giant's shoe. He took this out and threw it aside. One of these stones landed at Ambialet. Today, this is known as «la Pierre plantée», which in English means ‘the planted stone.’

Presqu’ île of Ambialet

 © Tales of a Flaneur

So there's the story! Ambialet was just a tiny stone stuck in Gargantua’s shoe that was later filled in and surrounded by water. This is why Ambialet is called a «Presqu’île», which means ‘almost an island' (or peninsula).

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["Les Cupules" in Ambialet prestígíeux et secret, p. 3]