Saturday morning we left Olonzac ... we had a rough idea of what we would like to do for the day!
As you can see from the photos Mother Nature had not blessed us with a "Sunshine" day!
We headed south to the tiny commune of Saint - Hilaire in the Aude south of Carcassonne.
After checking out the village (tiny as it is) we toured the Abbey... a Benedictine Monastery.
The Church ...
The Church houses an important Romanesque work of art ...
The marble Sarcophagus of St. Sernin built in the middle of the 12th Century by the Master of Cabestany.
It was carved from a single block of Pyrenean marble.
It is so narrow that it probably was not used as a stone coffin but rather a high altar.
The Abbott's Home ... a private room for the head of the Abbey.
This room was polar opposite to the other buildings at the monastery ... "Luxury versus austerity"!
The lounge dates back to the late 15th century and is decorated with an opulent painted French style ceiling that was restored in the 19th century when the walls were painted with the Abbott's coats of arms.
In between the beams on the ceiling various scenes were painted depicting medieval characters, daily life and even some with inappropriate / sexual undertones...
The fountain in the lounge made from Caunes Minervois marble...
La Cave ...The Cellar ...La Bodega
It is stated that the Benedictine monks of Saint Hilaire created the first sparkling wine "Blanquette" in the world in the year 1531.
There are some stories that Dom Pérignon while on a retreat at the Saint Hilaire Abbey may have left with the secrets of how to make sparking wine ... later inventing the process to make Champagne.
Inside the "Cave"...
The building that housed the jail and the Gaurds house ...
The refectory (dining hall) pulpit ... Used by the monks for readings during mealtimes ... This room has high ceilings with great acoustics.
When we purchased our tickets for the tour we were instructed to climb the steps and sit in the chair ... Sing a song, recite a poem so we could hear the echoes!
No I didn't get my makeshift microphone out and start singing Patsy Cline's "Crazy"...
After the interesting tour we travelled to Carcassonne for an enjoyable afternoon and night.
