Saignon
Encyclopedia
Saignon is a commune
in the Vaucluse
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
region
in southeastern France
.
The nearest town is Apt
.
There is a bakery/cafe, two restaurants, and a general store. The school has about 100 students, and is attached to the post office.
.
The 12th century Romanesque church of Notre-Dame de Pitié, also known as Saint Mary of Saignon, was a stopping point for religious pilgrims since the Middle Ages
: in addition to local pilgrims from Provence
, it was positioned on the way for those traveling to Rome
along the Via Domitia
, and for Italian pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela
in Spain
.
The 11th century Benedictine
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe, located just outside the town, traces its history to an earlier 6th century structure. After being destroyed and rebuilt several times, the Lord of Saignon restored the abbey
to the Order of Saint Giles
, which received support from the Benedictine Cluny Abbey
and its abbot
, St. Odilon. Pope Urban II
passed through the area in 1096 and devoted the church which had been recently rebuilt. The abbey is now rented to the public for events.
forms the commune's north-eastern border.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The nearest town is Apt
Apt, Vaucluse
Apt is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It lies on the left bank of the Calavon, east of Avignon...
.
There is a bakery/cafe, two restaurants, and a general store. The school has about 100 students, and is attached to the post office.
History
The area was first occupied in the Middle Palaeolithic age. The rock at Saignon, positioned a prominent location over the valley, was used as an ancient observatory and possibly a signal station. The name Saignon is believed to derive from word Sagnio, which comes from the word signumSignum
Signum is Latin for "sign" and may refer to:* Signum function or sign function in mathematics* Signum, a part of the female Lepidoptera genitalia* Signum , a 1995 by German industrial music artist P·A·L* Signum Framework...
.
The 12th century Romanesque church of Notre-Dame de Pitié, also known as Saint Mary of Saignon, was a stopping point for religious pilgrims since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
: in addition to local pilgrims from Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, it was positioned on the way for those traveling to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
along the Via Domitia
Via Domitia
The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is now southern France. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, so old that it traces the mythic route travelled by Heracles...
, and for Italian pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The 11th century Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe, located just outside the town, traces its history to an earlier 6th century structure. After being destroyed and rebuilt several times, the Lord of Saignon restored the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
to the Order of Saint Giles
Saint Giles
Saint Giles was a Greek Christian hermit saint from Athens, whose legend is centered in Provence and Septimania. The tomb in the abbey Giles was said to have founded, in St-Gilles-du-Gard, became a place of pilgrimage and a stop on the road that led from Arles to Santiago de Compostela, the...
, which received support from the Benedictine Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
and its abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, St. Odilon. Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
passed through the area in 1096 and devoted the church which had been recently rebuilt. The abbey is now rented to the public for events.
Geography
The village is 4 km (2 mi) from Apt, and sits on a prominent point over the valley. The CalavonCalavon
The Calavon is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse départements, southeastern France. Its source is near Banon. It flows generally west-southwest...
forms the commune's north-eastern border.