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The Network of Cluniac Sites
In 910, William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, founded a Benedictine abbey at Cluny, in Burgundy. Two hundred and fifty years later, the abbey was the head of some 1,500 Cluniac sites in what is known today as Western Europe : France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Belgium…
The network of Cluniac Sites was recognised as a ‘Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe’ in May 2005, after a proposal was presented in 2004 for a cultural route based on the discovery of the major figures of the Cluniac epic, and on the re-reading of its history.
The extraordinary influence exerted by the Cluniac order is reflected in the construction at Cluny, in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, of the largest abbey Church in the world, the Maior Ecclesia. The process set in motion by the monks of Cluny, mainly in the Middle Ages, could be summarised as follow : regenerating the world by consecrating churches and modifying the social relations and organisation of the surrounding area.
The Cluniac order spanned nine centuries ending with the French Revolution. For anyone interested in the history of Europe, the work of the Cluniacs cannot be overlooked. Their values remain relevant today : actions to promote peace, caring for the socially deprived and excluded a sense of beauty.
Varied architecture, a distinctive musical form, sculptures and paintings all form part of the fabulous heritage handed down to us by the monks.
Institution in charge of the route
The European Federation of Cluniac Sites
Actions
The Federation of Cluniac Sites works around three main objectives: to unite the
sites and create links between them; to develop their Cluniac heritage; and to promote initiatives for educational and cultural activities and to encourage tourism.
Several hundred people – elected representatives and private owners, cultural and tourism associations – are actively involved in the pursuit of these objectives. The Federation gives its backing to all their activities with the help of an international patronage committee bringing together researchers, archaeologists and historians. The Cluniac sites belonging to the Federation have now been organised into transregional and transnational itineraries.
As a result, a new European cultural and tourist network is growing, following in the footsteps of the monks of Cluny.
The Network of Cluniac Sites
In 2011, the network has more than 160 sites in Europe and 700 members.
