Montbard Travel Guide

 hquittner Says:  Lastly there are the Tombs of Mello d'Epoisses and his wife which are also in the choir. There are marked signs of the erosion caused by centuries of dampness but they still rest here in peace. 

 hquittner Says:  The church furnishings are few but are noteworthy. It should be remembered that there would have been a choir screen walling off the worship area (no longer present). By far the most impressive element is the end of the 13C statue of the Virgin and Child as realistic as one... 

 hquittner Says:  The interior has eight bays covered by broken arches rather than rounded Romanesque ones. The arches are supported on columns with minimally decorated capitals. Light enters the church only through the east and west end windows. The aisles have barrel vaulting. The chancel... 

 hquittner Says:  The Iron Foundry was always a money maker. The ore came from nearby. Although originally it lived under a severe Rule, the corruption of Commendatory Abbots brought changes. Initially there was a dovecoat (colombier or pigeon house) which was an emblem landownership, hence... 

 hquittner Says:  The Abbey of Fontenay is an essentially intact monastery. It is also a rare example of a severe Cistercian institution. Its church was consecrated in 1147 and the Abbey was one of the first daughter houses of Citeaux led by St. Bernard's uncle. The severity of line makes it... 

 hquittner Says:  It is said that the name Fontenay is derived froma word for fountains. As one leaves the forge building and heads for the gate house which is the entry, on the left is a cascade pouring into a large pool. The source of the cascade is the mill-run which powered the forge. The... 

 hquittner Says:  The Cistercians believed in the sanctity of work and they developed and here practiced a useful trade in metal working. The forge building is almost as long as the church. It stands to the South of the monastic complex next to a channeled water-run, from a diverted stream,... 

 hquittner Says:  One emerges into the monastery grounds once more. Ahead is a long factory building that is visited last. To the right attached to the Scriptorium, is the prison. Up on a rise near the monastery back wall near the herb garden, is a cottage (not visited) which was the... 

 hquittner Says:  The same vaulting is to be seen in the scriptorium, where the ribs are received centrally by a row of five columns. The scriptorium is in line with and connected to the chapter house to the north and to the warming-room (chauffoir) to its east. There are two fireplaces in... 

 hquittner Says:  The Chapter House is entered through a fine portal off the east walk of the Cloister. This is the typical location for the structure. This room is the"fanciest" room in the monastery. Its vaulting is supported by two central columns with simple flat leaf capitals. The... 

 hquittner Says:  The cloister is connected to the church by a dooway in the South church wall. This is the usual location for this structure in most monasteries. It is four sided and square. The central ground or garth contains at it center a fountain(also typical). The lateralwalkways are...