L'Eglise abbatiale Saint-Serge à Angers (ext)
Après les présentations dans le bus, et une longue pause café à l'ESTHUA, hop hop hop c'est parti pour les visites sur le terrain à Angers !!! Et c'est Philippine qui débutait avec la présentation de l'Eglise Abbatiale St Serge. Voici sa visite, en anglais, avec le lexique en bas de page...comme d'hab! ;)
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This abbey church has very ancient origins, although we don’t know exactly the date of its creation, it was quoted for the first time in the 7th century in a document written by the Merovingian king Childebert the 3th, who mentioned that his ancestor Clovis the 2th had founded this abbey and appointed the first bishop of it : St Severin. He also chose the name of “St Serge-St Bach” because of his particular devotion for these saints who gave him a miraculous help by fighting.
St Serge and St Bach were saints from the 3th century who came from Syria, they were roman commanders of a barbarian troop, but they were denounced as Christians and they bravely confessed their faith , so they were tortured: indeed at this period, it was forbidden to have another religion as the official one in the roman empire, and Christians who refused to abjure their faith were killed. It was the case of St Serge and St Bach too, they were whipped and st Bach died while st Serge is said to have survived, but he was later beheaded. Already at the end of the 3th the place of their tombs became of place of pilgrimage, although nowadays it remains only ruins.
In the 9th century, the abbey was granted to the duke of Brittany , Erispoë, who decided to put the relics of St Brieuc in safety in the St Serge abbey, because of the norman invasions. Indeed, at this period, the Normans invaded Brittany and pillaged it. The possession of those relics was for the monks a really good thing, given that thanks to it, they received many gifts from lords and many visits from believers who wanted to worship them. That’s the reason why they refused during a long time to give it back, until the 13th century, in 1210, when they made a deal and accepted to give back a part of those relics which are now in the cathedral of St Brieuc in Brittany.
Saint Brieuc was a briton monk from the 5th century, who was born from pagan parents in Wales, he was the pupil of St Germain of Auxerre, went to Armorica Brittany to evangelize pagans, went back in Great Brintain where he converted many people and finally came back in Brittany where he founded the first monastery of St Brieuc, a town in Côtes d’Armor which owes its name to him.
In the 10th century, Allan, Duke of Brittany, gave the abbey to the bishopric of Angers and a group of canons was set up.
About the 11th century, abbot Vulgrin who came from the priory of Marmoutiers near Tours ,and who was an admirer of Cluny undertook big works and the abbey was completely restructured and restored in a Romanesque style . In 1059 the church was dedicated again to St Serge. Moreover, abbot Vulgrin put a group of Benedictine monks, who had to follow the rule of St Benedict. (obedience, charity and chastity).
The place became an important artistic center with the numerous illuminations that the monks drew by copying the Bible. Unfortunately were the books of this rich library confiscated after the Revolution, but some of them still exist nowadays.
In the middle of the 15th century, the abbey church was in a very bad state for several reasons: First of all, because of its situation, given that it isn’t situated in the town center, but about 800 meters far from it, so it couldn’t be protected from the attacks while the town was fortified: it has been destroyed by wars, notably the 100 years wars and the religion wars.
Several fires and frequent flooding from the Maine have devastated it too.
There were some works in the 15th century in order to restore it, abbot Francis Orignac transformed the crossing of the transept and elevated a bell tower.
The abbey has several architectural styles, the most ancient, the transept, dates from the 11th century and is from Romanesque style, whereas many part are of Gothic style, like the beautiful choir from the 13th for example.
In the 17th century like all the other Benedictine churches the abbey was run by the St Maur reform and all the monastic buildings were transformed in a classical style (1694).
During the Revolution and like many other churches st Serge was very damaged, the porch was notably completely destroyed.
In the 19th century, the abbey church became a parish church. In 1853 the municipality undertook works, the nord transept and the façade were entirely rebuilt.
In 1929 the abbey became a school for young girls while it is nowadays a highschool for boys and girls: the Lycée Joachim du Bellay.
Vocabulary:
To appoint somebody : nommer quelqu’un (nommer un évêque)
To abjure : abjurer/renoncer à ses croyances
To be whipped : être fouetté
A whip : un fouet
To be beheaded : être décapité
To owe something to somebody : devoir quelque chose à quelqu’un
Bishopric : l’évêché
Flooding : inondation
Illuminations : enluminures