Belleperche Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Tarn-et-Garonne. It was founded between 1130 and 1140 by the d'Argombat family at a location about 10 kilometres from the later site. In 1143 it affiliated itself as a daughter house of the Cistercian primary Clairvaux Abbey. At this point it was transferred to an allod on the bank of the Garonne, where it carried out viniculture, horse-breeding, and cattle-breeding. Belleperche became one of the largest monasteries in southern France, with eight granges, including Angeville, and 60-80 monks in its heyday. The original building was already replaced by 1230 with a new construction on enlarged foundations on the riverbank. In 1563 a new Abbot's lodge was erected.
The abbey's decline began with the Hundred Years' War, and further damages were caused in 1572, during the Huguenot Wars. The monastery was restored (1604-1614), but was dissolved in 1791 as a result of the French Revolution. The abbey was converted into a castle, agricultural estates, and domestic residences, and unused buildings were demolished or fell into ruin.
A restoration was begun in 1993. The now demolished church was consecrated in 1263. It was 75 metres long and 20 wide, with polychromatic floor-tiles and an octagonal bell tower, modelled on Saint Sernin in Toulouse, above the crossing. The six bays of the chapter house were vaulted between 1250 and 1255. The rectangular cloister measured approximately 46 x 38 metres.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.