Grand Grandmont

Grandmont Gites, where I am staying, nestled in the Monts d'Ambazac

It’s a cool and chilly morning right now and only just 10  minutes to 7 am.  I thought I would get up early to get a head start on things as I have been so remiss in doing regular blogs.  I guess two years in, you can give me a bit of a break, but really, I think it is just laziness.

Ancient steps in a modern day

So here I am in Grandmont.  Taking care of my charges.  The fire has been lit and the doggies – Archie and Oscar – are snuggled down.  They got up when I came into the kitchen thinking – yay, the day has started! – but since I had not been getting up until 7:30 or so the other days, I told them to lie down and wait.  It is still dark out for goodness sakes.  I shooed the cats off the counters and settled down to write, which I am doing now.

Persisting in its existence

It is a lovely area here in the Monts d’Ambazac.  I went for a drive yesterday to Saint Sylvestre, Ambazac and Razes to check out the old churches, which I was able to see and go into, as I figured on a Sunday.  However, the rest of the town was shut down.  Well it was a Sunday after all coupled with Remembrance Day and we are in rural France where they still respect the day of rest.  So everything was very quiet indeed.

Yes, I am pretty sure people live in there.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Grandmont came to be as a result of the development of the Order of Grandmont and the abbey that was built as the domicile and place of practice for the monks following that order.  I have an historical story here at the house on this history but I was just looking it up on the computer too and have found the following:

Marmalade and I set out for a ride

The Order of Grandmont has been claimed by both Benedictines and Canons Regular as a branch of their respective institutes, although the Grandmontines always maintained that they formed a distinct order. St. Stephen, the founder, modeled his institute upon the life of the Carthusians. The so called “Rule of St. Stephen” was compiled at the request of the fourth prior and embodies the customs of Grandmont some 20 or 30 years after St. Stephen’s death. The founder himself left no authentic writings. His maxim was: “There is no rule save the Gospel of Christ”; as this was the basis of all rules, to practice its morality was to fulfill all the duties of a good religious.

Reflection in the early morning - one of the many lakes thanks to the monks

The early Grandmontines were noted for their extreme austerity. Poverty was most strictly observed; the rule forbade the possession of lands, cattle, revenue, or impropriate churches. Begging was only permitted when there was no food in the house, and even then the local bishop was first to be informed of their state. The law of silence was also very severe, as were the rules of fasting and abstinence.

I am not sure of the age of this, but this is a waterhouse place between the dammed reservoir with a channel of water feeding a river below.

After the founder’s death in 1124 his disciples migrated to the neighboring rocky desert of Grandmont, where I am now.  The order spread rapidly, and in 1170 numbered sixty monasteries, mostly in Aquitaine, Anjou, and Normandy. The influence of the Grandmontines reached its height in the twelfth century. Their holy austerity roused the admiration of all beholders, and the kings of England and France vied with one another in bestowing favors upon them.

From the other side you can see the lake on the left and the valley on the right

Essentially, the golden age of the Order of Grandmont only lasted for about 60 years after its founder died.  The history is then fraught with constant conflict and the Order finally disappeared in 1787 when the last two monks were expelled from the mother house.  The abbey and its buildings were destroyed in the 19th century and very little remains of its presence today.

Ever tried getting a picture of a horse whilst on the horse? This is the result. Marmalade looking a little stunned.

However, the monks left their mark in all the reservoirs, dams and waterhouses they built in order to provide themselves with the resources necessary to live – namely water and fish.  So this area is littered with lovely lakes that make for great fishing and a healthy wildlife population that wanders throughout the forest.  On the weekends hunters can be seen going after their wild boar.

It looked like an abandoned chateau on the banks of one of the lakes, but I don't think it is at all.

It really is quite beautiful and as I was riding around the area with Marmalade, I was enjoying the lovely fall colours and the calmness that is brought on when immersed in Mother Nature.  I look forward to another ride today.

The view from atop a horse!! 🙂