Chaalis Abbey Ruins, Fontaine-Chaalis, France

Chaalis Abbey was a French Cistercian abbey north of Paris, at Fontaine-Chaalis, near Ermenonville, now in Oise. It was founded in 1136 by Louis VI of France. There had previously been a Benedictine monastery in the same place. Most of the buildings fell into ruins thanks to mismanagement on the part of the commendatory abbots. Among the ruins, a chapel with important frescos by Primaticcio survives intact.

For Louis, Count of Clermont and abbé commendataire of Chaalis, the architect Jean Aubert created plans for the reconstruction of the abbey in 1736. Begun in 1739 and intended as a large quadrangle, only the entrance wing with the abbot's residence was completed. Further work was halted in 1745 due to lack of funds and never resumed.

Jean Aubert's château, now the museum, next to the ruins of the former abbey. The monastery was sold and demolished during the French Revolution.

Museum

The former abbey is now the location of an art museum, the Musée Jacquemart-André. Like the museum of the same name in Paris it houses a part of the former collection of artworks of Nélie Jacquemart-André. At her death in 1912 she gave it to the Institut de France and asked that a museum should be created in Chaalis, where she had spent her childhood.

The museum continues to display this very rich collection which features paintings by Giotto, Cima da Conegliano, Luca Signorelli, Francesco Francia, Lorenzo di Credi, Joos van Cleve, Tintoretto, Palma the Younger, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Philippe de Champaigne, Charles Le Brun, Nicolas de Largillière, François Desportes, François Boucher, Rosalba Carriera, Giovanni Paolo Pannini and Jean-Baptiste Greuze; sculptures by Baccio Bandinelli, François Girardon, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Augustin Pajou, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and Edme-François-Étienne Gois; furniture and decorative art; and a collection of Indian items.

References:

Wikipedia

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Dian E (2 years ago)
Lovely place..with Journée de la Rose each year this place is my favourite one?

David Siwek (2 years ago)
This is a nice place to spend sometime. You can have a walk in french garden and roses garden. In the museum There's collection from around the world.

Fernando Aranguiz (4 years ago)
Very nice and interesting place with very old ruins of the Abbey, a great little church and a complete and odd Musseum. Totally worth it!

Bill Doran (5 years ago)
Interesting abbey ruins on the columbanway.eu

Hein Demyttenaere (5 years ago)
Remains of the past in different centuries, magic.

Chaalis Abbey Ruins

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