abbey of cluny

Having studied medieval monasticism for 2 years at university, I couldn't spend a week at Taizé and not visit Cluny, the most influential abbey for many a year! What they've done with what remains of the abbey is wonderful. There are plenty of things to look at and you really get an idea of how huge and imposing this great religious building once was. I was slightly baffled by the amount of modern art however. And whilst I can forgive it in an exhibition space, I am not quite sure why giant metal sculptures need to block some of the best views and photo opportunities in the more modern portion... The only real disappointment is that there isn't more of Cluny left. I suppose one can't blame this on the attraction - historical forces led to its destruction and that can't really be reversed now that a town surrounds it! I can't help but wonder though, how magnificent it would be to visit the place completely intact. To this end, it's great that they have rotating panels with CGI/artistic representations of how it would have looked - and that they're rebuilding a part of it!

We visited Cluny Abbey curious as many of the cathedrals in the Burgundy and Rhone region were built based on Cluny’s architecture. There is only very little remaining of the original 10C. building as it was dismantled after the Revolution. Whatever remains has been incorporated in the building of the 1821 and indeed shows the unbelievable height and how majestic the original abbey should have been. A short 3D film in French explains in detail the building and the grandeur of the monastery as well as the history of the monastic order. Cluny village is very lovely and definitely is worth a stroll.

This place is amazing. A great English audio tour. Only 20% of the abbey remains standing. They have installed digital screens that are stationed on a swivel platform and allow you to see what the area you are looking at looked like when it was whole. Very enjoyable!

Although not too much of the early church remains it is a beautiful place to visit because they have reconstructed certain areas and one can access the whole area of what was a huge working monastery. You can still get a feeling for what it was like about 1000 years ago.It is possible to get there by bus €1.50 from Macon or from Paray Le Moniale, bus number 9.

We drove through Cluny last Saturday, and were surprised to see legions of cars parked everywhere in the late morning. We were lucky to get a space as someone left, and judged by the throngs of people walking away from the Abbey that there was a market. Right in front of the museum entrance was a local market with clothing, local Choucroute (sauerkraut), cheeses, fruits, vegetables, knives and lots else. It was almost all locals stocking up. The people were nice and we sourced our picnic for later in the day. After that we went into the museum (9.5 euros adults). The church itself is mostly gone. We visited 30 years ago and there was a tour but not much to see. There has been significant archeological work since then and there was a self-guided tour which included English, and a 10-15 minute movie with computer generated recreations of the cathedral based on the recent research. The movie made it all make sense, although the voice over is in french, you do not need to understand to appreciate the movie. This was an amazing monastery, and there is a timeline from the beginning in 910 through today that includes three timelines, the history of the times, the abbey development and personnel, and the architecture and building. Very interesting and helpful. The abbey is attached to the old cloister which is now a school and gorgeous gardens. The town around Cluny is quaint and fun to walk around and get a sense of the interaction of the abbey and the town.

The Abbey , which has been beautifully restored, is a treasure in French history. The transept is overwhelming in its size and vaulting. I liked the chapels for their design and found myself visualizing religious services in the Middle Ages. The Jean de Bourbon chapel, although smaller, felt comfortable for the abbot.

A quick stopover turned out to be a nice two hour tour of this former Abbey. The English audio guide was key to understanding the history of the Abbey and its ruins. Unfortunately, during my visit, the 3D film was not operational which would have been a helpful preview as to what I was going to see on the tour. Only about a tenth of the great monastery remains and a visit is rather a 'virtual' tour. The section of the abbey still remaining is the great transept which shows the enormous height of the original building. Archaeological excavations have also uncovered an area where the monks worshiped. Outside the rear of the Abbey, you get a sense of the immensity of the Abbey. There are no signs directing you, but off to the right, is a 13th-century Gothic building that served as a wine cellar on the bottom level and a granary on the upper level. The granary has a beautiful oak-and-chestnut timber roof (c.1275) and now displays a collection of exquisite capitals from the vanished choir of the church. Your tour could be a quick walk through or you could spend a few hours learning and investigating. It was fascinating after I determined what I was looking at. This is not currently a working monastery.

Whilst virtually nothing is left of the original abbey, the rest of the town is charming and well worth a stopover. Cobbled narrow streets, nice shops, peaceful feel about it.

We visited the Abbey as one of our excursions whilst on a river cruise with Newmarket holidays.The Abbey wasn't quite what we expected. There was a 3D movie, although in French, which was very interesting and gave you a real idea of how beautiful this place must have been. The audio guides were very useful but can only give you an idea of how much has been lost.The gardens were beautiful and the old storage building, just past the college in the grounds, had wonderful models of what the Abbey had been. The roof in one of these buildings was a few hundred years old and the information stated that it had only been repaired once which was astounding.If you are interested in Abbeys than this is worth a visit but don't set your sights too high.

Very good visit with extremely well done interpretation. Not hugely interesting for small children though the 3d video engages.

We were a bit disappointed. At the entrance a sign warned that the average visit lasts about 2 hours. I think that you cannot spend there 2 hours not even if you read all of the informative panels. Unfortunately the most interesting part of the Abbey is lost forever. I knew if from the guide I had read in advance, but I still expected more. The best of the visit was the 3D movie which give you an idea of how beautiful the big church should be. And also the computerized screens which show you what you would have seen before the devastation. Worth a visit, for what this place represented in european middle-age hystory, but don't expect too muc.

The restoration and research is impressive. Audio guides are available in multiple languages. There are a number of places where there are 3D images so you can understand what the once grand cathedral looked like. I did enjoy the audio tour because there was so much information available about the history, culture and persons associated with Cluny. We wanted to stay less than 2 hours so we missed a lot. Plan a longer visit. Parking is very convenient.

Disappointing video introduction (3D) wasn't working correctly. Very little of original abbey remains. Now appears more of a conference type centre. Worth a visit but not as interesting as many other similar places visited. The town/village is very quaint and the inclusive ticket allowing access to the museum was worthwhile. Not overpriced.

amazing remains of once huge historical Abbey with some very innovative 3D way to illustrate the missing parts of the Abbey and all its history

I can justify the high price for admission in light of the upkeep of the facility. I cannot justify the meager information in light of the price of admission. If you read your French history you might understand why the people would want to exercise such violence against the church and the royalty. In their passion they mistook the art for their enemy. That is part of the story that is not told here. What you are told is what stones and wood stood where. That may be fine for the tourist day-tripper, but not for serious visitors. Fortunately, we knew the history before we arrived and knew what we wanted to see. Sadly I did not learn much during the visit. That is the fault of the Museum Administrator and the Museum Pedagogue.