Cluny and onwards

After staying in Taizé for 2 nights I caught the bus to Cluny.  This would have been a lovely walk through the valley, along an old train line, now a cycle track.  I resisted the urge to walk it though as, after all my work in repairing my foot, I didn't want to undo it.

Cluny, for me, was a big surprise. I hadn't been expecting the busy, thriving town it was.  It is full of artisan shops, restaurants, and, of course, things to see.  Many of the streets, and buildings, are medieval. 

Medieval Cluny

It is famous for the ruins of an abbey, which has, over the centuries, had a varied life.  Established in 910 it grew to be an extremely powerful abbey, leading, at the height of its power, around 2,000 abbey's and priories. The order was based on the Rule of St Benedict,  but became known as the Cluniac order, and was not only in France but in England and Spain too.  

The remains of the abbey

Buildings inside the abbey grounds 

The entrance gate to the monastery 

The remains of a pillar - it gives an idea of the size of them

What the abbey would have been like had the rest of it survived the ravages of the Revolution. 

The remaining towers of the abbey and the 18th Century renovations in the front.  The garden in the foreground would have been covered in buildings up until the time of the Revolution. 

The abbey church began as a very small one, being expanded until it's last alterations and additions in the 11th century.  The abbey church became the largest in the western world at that time being 190 metres in length and soaring to around 30 metres high.  It remained the biggest church in the western world until the building of St Peter's Basilica some 500 years later.

A model of the abbey

After the decline of the abbey's power it was eventually purchased by the nation (it is now a national monument), and part of is now an engineering school,  and other parts housed horses!  Much of it is now a museum.

Some of the abbey was rebuilt in the 18th Century.  It is now painted the original colours of white and ochre.

I stayed for 3 days with the nuns in Cluny, having ample opportunity to rest.  I set off on Wednesday, thinking all was good, but changed my mind when I looked at the topography for the day's walk.  There were hills ahead, and more on the next couple of days, and realising that if I went too far I would not be able extricate myself.

My room with the nuns at Cluny.

Leaving Cluny - the Odile Gate.

Thus, after a couple of kilometres, instead of going straight ahead at a junction I turned left and made my way to the station.  Here I caught the bus to Macon, then the train to Lyon, and from there to a city I had never heard of - Roanne.  It had been my intention to catch a bus to Charlieu to resume the journey to le Puy-en-Velay, but on the train I investigated where I was going, and decided I could spend 3 days in Roanne far more cheaply, instead of in Charlieu.  

I am so pleased I did.  It is a lovely city, and the sort of place that people tend not to go to.  It seems a prosperous place, with a history of industry, including textiles and armaments, no doubt because of its position on the Loire.  There are numerous parks, buildings are well maintained, and amenities like cinemas and shopping centres are accessible.   There are even two pedestrian shopping streets. 

One of the pedestrian streets

A street in Roanne

An old house, next to Église Saint Etienne

Église Saint Etienne

Église Saint Louis

Since arriving here I have found out that I don't need to catch a bus to Charlieu - I can walk.  I have even had a sing in one of the churches - the first time I have felt like singing for a couple of weeks, so I must be feeling better!  I am planning to set off on Sunday morning, early, because it is expected to get to 36°, walking along the cycle path following the canal beside the Loire.