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]

All You Need to Know About "Aligot"

During the time in which religious pilgrims traveled throughout southern France, they would stop at the various villages along their way to rest.  As such, these pilgrims often depended on the hospitality of the locals for food and a place to sleep.  From this hospitality came forth the creation of aligot (pronounced: alley-go). 

Aligot is a heavy potato dish originally intended to provide the pilgrims with the nourishment they needed to continue on their long journey ahead.  According to Peter and Margaret, English neighbors of Le Prieure, many villages within Southern France have their very own, special recipe for aligot.

The Saint Francis group had the pleasure of experiencing this one-of-a-kind dish at a fete they attended in September, specialty of the St. Michel township.

[Interview conducted on 13 November 2010 with Mamie and Christiane].

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]