Pauline
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Last year we stopped at the Saint-Roman Abbey near Beaucaire on our drive from Uzes to Marseille airport.
Saint-Roman Abbey (Abbaye de Saint-Roman) is an ancient troglodyte monastery dug out of rock by hermits and monks. The structure is similar to Cappadocia (Cappadoce) in what is now the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Excavations to create the abbey started in the 5th century but many parts were built in the 12th century.
We really enjoyed this site. It was a nice 15 minute walk gently uphill to the top of the hill. There were only a couple of other people wandering around. This large abbey was carved out of the rock. We walked through the chapel area and the rooms. The most amazing thing for me was the "terrace" on top of the hill, where the monks buried their dead in the rock (see photo below). They carved coffin spaces in the rock. There are many of them up there - almost covering the top of the abbey.
See my photo gallery on the main site: Slow Europe Photos - Saint-Roman Abbey
Of course Steve and I took photos of each other in the "coffins" (there was no one around). Most disrespectful I know, but the bones had been removed long ago, and a bit creepy.
Saint-Roman Abbey (Abbaye de Saint-Roman) is an ancient troglodyte monastery dug out of rock by hermits and monks. The structure is similar to Cappadocia (Cappadoce) in what is now the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Excavations to create the abbey started in the 5th century but many parts were built in the 12th century.
We really enjoyed this site. It was a nice 15 minute walk gently uphill to the top of the hill. There were only a couple of other people wandering around. This large abbey was carved out of the rock. We walked through the chapel area and the rooms. The most amazing thing for me was the "terrace" on top of the hill, where the monks buried their dead in the rock (see photo below). They carved coffin spaces in the rock. There are many of them up there - almost covering the top of the abbey.
See my photo gallery on the main site: Slow Europe Photos - Saint-Roman Abbey
Of course Steve and I took photos of each other in the "coffins" (there was no one around). Most disrespectful I know, but the bones had been removed long ago, and a bit creepy.