endlessrarities: (Default)
endlessrarities ([personal profile] endlessrarities) wrote2012-12-09 07:41 pm

The Abbey of Caunes Minervois

Some views inside the abbey church at Caunes Minervois now, and once again there's a paucity of information.  It's a strange mix of rounded Romanesque and pointed Transitional or even Gothic arches, which makes me wonder if there's been a bit of rebuilding in the 13th or 14th century:-



251TheAbbeyofCaunes-Minervois



Not the best of photos, I fear, but here's another view of the north wall of the church, showing the mixture between the rounded and pointed arches.  I can't help wondering if it was originally cruciform on plan, with the transepts marked by the tall rounded arches near the apsidal east end, and with aisles added at a later date:-




253TheAbbeyofCaunes-Minervois



One last photograph of the interior now, showing the lavish altarpiece:-




256TheAbbeyofCaunes-Minervois

A magnificent church, despite its apparent austerity!