Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9. CHANNELS
The Cistercians came to this plateau seeking isolation, and built their abbey next to
the region's only river, the Senancole. They channelled the water to flow through and
under the abbey, providing sanitation, and irrigation for the gardens.
10. LAVENDER FIELDS
The Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque is surrounded by fields of lavender which
make a spectacular setting for the buildings in summer.
St Bernard and the Cistercians
With their complete lack of decoration or comfort, Provence's most outstanding
Romanesque monasteries, Sénanque, Silvacane (for further details see
Abbaye
de Silvacane
)
and
Le Thoronet
, reflect the austere ideals of the Cistercian order,
founded in 1098 by St Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux. Rejecting the ostentatious
luxury of the powerful Benedictine order, St Bernard advocated a rigorous and
pure monastic life within simple, yet graceful and harmonious buildings.
Tip:
The most striking approach to Sénanque is from Gordes, with a perfect
panorama of the abbey as the road descends into the craggy valley in which Sén-
anque stands.
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