Margie and I woke early went to find the Cluny Museum, the Museum of the middle ages. With map in hand we really did look like tourists which of course we were. The sun was shining when we passed over from the Ile Louis to Il de la Cite and Notre Dame was lovely in the morning light. On the right bank we went into the Latin Quarter, up the Rue de Germaine and one kind gentleman, whose english was pretty good, stopped and pointed us in the right direction when we were stopped at a corner looking at our map, obviously looking a little confused. we had a little bite of breakfast and continued on.
We found the Sorbonne university. Wikipedia says
The historic University of Paris first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was reorganised in 1970 as 13 autonomous universities after the student protests of the French May. I found out that students like Marie Curie, Charles Boyer, Princess Caroline of Monaco used to go there. A long time ago, back in the12 th century, students used to sit around on hay during lectures so as not to get their clothes dirty but it had improved greatly since then. It was the university of Europe at one time.
A few blocks away we found a small park named after a famous mathematician, Paul Painleve, who was born in Paris, 5 dec 1863. He was educated at the university of Paris where he received his doctorate in mathematics in 1887, awarded the grand prix des sciences mathemateques, in 1890 became a proffessor at the Sorbonne and was also a very political man becoming prime minister in but only for 2 years. the park had some interesting plants and a cool statue of Romulus and Remus and we saw a young guy sleeping in the park.
This park was right beside the Cluny museum. We walked around the building and waited for it to open at a little garden in back of the building that was fenced off so we could not get in, but there were flowers to enjoy and a french bird of some sort, kind of like a brown robin. When I looked it up I found that it was a female blackbird. My first sighting.... how exciting! Later I also found out that the fenced garden was the Medievil Garden.
At 9 we went around to the great front door; all carved wood and pink shells
(the scallop-shells on the façade symbolize the great camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which once began just around the corner and was overseen by the Abbey of Cluny, and I was on that Pilgrimage!) and carved stone dragons surrounding it, very cool, very old, and waited for the museum to open. We thought that it would open at nine but it did not. 9:15
Wikipedia says The structure is perhaps the most outstanding example still extant of civic architecture in medieval Paris. It was formerly the town house (hotel) of the abbots of Cluny, started in 1334. The structure was rebuilt by Jacques d'Amboise, abbot in commendam of Cluny 1485-1510 and it combines Gothic and Renaissance elements. In 1843 it was made into a public museum, to contain relics of France's Gothic past preserved in the building by Alexandre du Sommerord.
Though it no longer possesses anything originally connected with the abbey of Cluny, the hôtel was at first part of a larger Cluniac complex that also included a building (no longer standing) for a religious college in the Place de la Sorbonne, just south of the present day Hôtel de Cluny along Boulevard Saint-Michel. Although originally intended for the use of the Cluny abbots, the residence was taken over by Jacques d'Ambroise, Bishop of Clermont and Abbot of Jumieges, and rebuilt to its present form in the period of 1485-1500.
We were in at 915 and taking pictures outside and in. There was not a long lineup and we were at the front of the line so it did not matter.
Our Paris pass got us in for free but we had to pay for the audio tour thingy which as it turned out was rather confusing as the room number did not correspond to the number that we were to push and initially we saw no numbers that would correspond to our guide. We did figure it out in the by the second room and it was tres interesting and well worth the price.
Occupants of the house over the years have included Mary Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII of England. She was installed here after the death of her husband Louis XII by his successor Francis I of France in 1515; Francis wished to monitor Mary closely, particularly to see if she was pregnant. Seventeenth-century occupants included several papal nuncios, including Mazarin.
Later, it was used as an observatory by the astronomer Charles Messier, (being a over of astronomy I found this is to be very cool) who in 1771 published his observations in the landmark Messier Catalog. In 1793 it (the hotel not the catalogue ) was confiscated by the state, and for the next three decades served several functions. At one point it was owned by a physician who used the magnificent Flamboyant chapel on the first floor as a dissection room ( I cannot even imagine that as the small chapel is beautiful ).
In 1833 Alexandre du Sommerard moved here and installed his large collection of medieval and Renaissance objects. Upon his death in 1842 the collection was purchased by the state; the building was opened as a museum in 1843, with du Sommerard's son serving as the first curator. The present gardens, opened in 1971, include a "Forêt de la Licorne" inspired by the tapestries.
The Hôtel de Cluny is partially constructed on the remains of Gallo-Roman baths (very cool and interesting and large) dating from the third century (known as the Thermes de Cluny), which are famous in their own right and which may still be visited. In fact, the museum itself actually consists of two buildings: the frigidarium ("cooling room"), where the remains of the Thermes de Cluny are, and the Hôtel de Cluny itself, which houses its impressive collections. This roman bath was the last roman bath in paris.
The first part of the museum was the Museum Shop, then the Tapestry of St. Peter (15c), Altarpiece of the Passion (16c), sculptures (14-15c); Coptic textiles (4-6c), Quadriga from Aachen (8c), Manorial Life tapestry (16c), Alabaster plaques from Nottingham (15c),
The Stained glass from the 12th and 13th centuries was amazing with bright bold colours, not the faded colours that we saw at the monasteries of Mont St Michelle. They were found buried and so were protected from the sunlight and were preserved in thier original state. Absolutely vibrant.
then the Gate of Pierre de Montreuil (13c), tombstones (13-14c), Sculptures from Notre Dame Cathedral (12-13c), Frigidarium of Roman Baths (1-3c). Boatmen's Pillar (1c), Saint-Landry's Pillar (2c).
The roman bath area was filled with statues and columns
The Romanesque Room held Capitals from Saint-Germain-des Pres (11c), ivories (4-12c), statue heads from Saint-Denis (12c),
There are some heads of statues, found during an excavation in Saint -denis in 1977, on display of the 28 kings of Judah and Israel. It seems that during the French Revolution, the revolutionaries mistakenly believed the statues of the 28 kings lining the front of the Notre-Dame cathedral were French kings instead of biblical kings, so they decapitated them. (Notre dame has since replaced the broken kings and they look great having seen them myself)
We wandered from room to room enjoying the artifacts and articles displayed
and friezes and tapestries on walls, each with their own story and each very interesting. We saw ancient kings and queens sarcophagi and marveled at the work involved. How long would it have taken them to carve the coffins. Would they have had to start before the kings and queens were even were showing ill health? Mysteries abound in my mind.
There was a school tour that came through, maybe even two, I am not sure, but suddenly our peace and quiet was gone and then as they moved on it was back again. The museum uses all of its space very well covering walls in halls and nooks and crannies with relics and such. Most of the articles displayed were brought in from other sites, discovered during excavations for new buildings and such. we saw
large wooden Christs from crucifixes (12c), Virgin and St. John from Prato (13c).
In the
Gothic Room. Apostles from Sainte-Chapelle (13c), capitals from Catalonia (12c), the carved columns with roman gods on each side. Some showing unknown gods dating from pre roman times.
Quite a few of the items we saw were religious and beautifully preserved. Why is it that so much of the medieval art is religious you ask. The church was often times the only patron for the artists and it controlled so much of daily life back then, in Europe anyway. The churches and the royalty had the money to pay for the work and so we now have religious and royal art.
We saw sculptures from Poissy (13c). We saw Tapestries (16c), chests, caskets, shoes, pilgrim badges, toys, etc. and that was only on the ground floor.
On the first floor was the reason we had come to the Cluny.
This photo of
Musee National du Moyen Age-Thermes et Hotel de Cluny is courtesy of TripAdvisor
website
The Cluny Mueum says "the most famous attraction of the Musée de Cluny is the Lady and the Unicorn (Dame à la Licorne) tapestry, the most acclaimed tapestry of its kind. The six charming scenes, which cover the walls of an entire room, bring to life the romance of the age of chivalry. The tapestry was designed by French artists and woven in 1485-1500 in Flanders. It was discovered in 1841 by Prosper Merimee in Boussac Castle and aquired by the museum in 1882.
Each of the six scenes includes a beautiful lady, a unicorn, and a lion. The animals wear heraldry that identifies the sponsor of the work as Jean Le Viste, a powerful nobleman close to King Charles VII (1422-61). The backgrounds are filled with woodland creatures, plants and flowers, creating an enchanted landscape.
Five of the scenes illustrate the five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and sound. The sixth scene, which belongs either at the beginning or the end of the series, is especially beautiful and intriguing. It is labeled with a banner reading, "To my only desire," and shows the lady placing a necklace in a case held by a servant.
I love the Unicorn Tapestries! Magnificent!
We saw Antwerp altarpieces (16c), altar frontal of life of the Virgin (14c), Pieta of Tarascon (15c), tapestry of the Prodigal Son (16c). Scriptorium and brassware.
A 7th century Visigoth collection made up of three crowns, two crosses, links and gold pendants.Wiki says" a larger collection was originally offered to the catholic church by the visigoths in the 7th century but the monastery of Sancta Maria in Sorbaces of Guarrazar served as a hideout for the real treasure of the court, Toledo churches and monasteries to prevent their capture by the Muslims' invasion of Spain.In August 1858 storms uncovered a series of tombs at the site of the gardens of Guarrazar in Guadamur, very close to Toledo Spain. These remains were found by neighbours Francisco Morales and María Pérez. The treasure, which represents the high point of Visigothic goldsmith's work, was dug between 1858 and 1861. The treasure was divided, with some objects going to the Musee de Cluny and the rest to the armouries of the Palacio Real in Madrid in (today in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain). Subsequently most of the Treasure of Guarrazar was stolen and has disappeared.
A solid golden rose from the 14th century that according to Wiki "The custom, started when the popes moved to Avignon, of conferring the rose upon the most deserving prince at the papal court, continued after the papacy moved back to Rome. The prince would receive the rose from the pope in a solemn ceremony and be accompanied by the College of Cardinals from the papal palace to his residence. From the beginning of the seventeenth century, the rose was sent only to queens, princesses and eminent noblemen. Emperors, kings and princes were given a blessed sword and hat as a more suitable gift. However, if a deserving Catholic emperor, king or other great prince was present in Rome on Lætare Sunday, he would be presented with the rose.
Limoges enamels (12-13c), Sainte-Chapelle reliquary (13c). Sainted glass (14-15c), ivories (14-15c), Hispano-Moresque lustreware (15c).
A wooden statue of jesus on a donkey with what was probably the first halo ever on Jesus. We just called him that guy on the donkey. we were starting to get punchy.
Choir stalls with misericords from Beauvais (15c), the Dictionary says" A bracket attached to the underside of a hinged seat in a church stall against which a standing person may lean. Also called miserere. Carved with everyday happenings everything from churning butter to beating your wife to having sex. ? In church? Marvelous. More tapestries and folding tables, statues, jewelry and art. brains going mushy for sure.
A beautiful Book of Hours from the 12th and 13th centuries. Wiki says "The book of hours was developed for lay people who wished to incorporate elements of monasticism into their devotional life and for Inspirational practice, a person might read or recite from the prayers or excerpts from Psalms. Tens of thousands of books of hours survive to the present day. Indeed, most of the extant medieval illuminated manuscripts are books of hours, although many of these have minimal decoration, and no illustrations at all. Some of the books made for wealthy patrons, however, were extremely lavish, boasting brightly coloured, full-page miniatures." I am thinking that only wealthy people could afford any book.
We saw more exquisite tapestries and wooden statues. We even had a laugh or two about some of the things we saw. Our brains were definitely gone to mush.
A quick stop at the medieval museum gift shop to pick up postcards, pens, an umbrella souvenir for Margie. I love my umbrella. and some postcards/bookmarks etc.
We did not get to see museum's medieval garden from inside the fence, which was inspired by the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry It covers 5000 square meters and includes medicinal plants, a "kitchen garden" of herbs, and a section with a "thousand flowers" (mille fleurs). We just didn't have time and I think it was closed anyway. yet another reason to come back to Paris. Yes it was behind closed gates and we could not get in!
We happily headed off to the batobus to meet Maureen at noon at the Louvre .
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