1997 © Maxim Tabachnik
Abbey Church
This abbey church (1147) embodies the Cistercian rejection of grandeur. Its Romanesque forms are stripped of sculpture and color, leaving only light and stone to inspire contemplation. Unlike Cluniac abbeys, famed for their opulent sculpture, rich ornament, and complex liturgy, Fontenay expresses a vision of monastic purity rooted in silence and labor.
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