Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3. NAVE AND TRANSEPT
The barrel-vaulted nave and aisles of Sénanque are five bays long, and three stone
steps lead from the nave to the square crossing, with its eight-sided dome. One of
four altars is original.
4. APSE
The three windows of the raised, semi-circular apse symbolize the Holy Trinity.
5. DORMITORY
The monks' dormitory is a huge, vaulted space, paved with flagstones. Arched win-
dows at regular intervals along its walls and two large, circular windows at each end
make the room pleasantly light and airy.
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6. CALEFACTORY
The calefactory is symbolic of St Bernard's injunctions against luxury: this was the
only heated room in the monastery, and it enabled monks to read and write without
freezing.
7. TOMB OF THE SEIGNEUR DE VENASQUE
In one corner of the east arm of the transept is the only non-Cistercian element of the
church - a lovely Gothic tomb marks the burial place of Geoffroy, the 13th-century
Lord of Venasque and the abbey's former patron.
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8. CHAPTERHOUSE
The walls of the square chapterhouse, the abbey's assembly room, are lined with
stone seats. Here the monks sat each day to hear the abbot read a chapter from the
Rule of St Benoît or a sermon from the Bible.
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