A must-see
article | Reading time4 min
Majestic. That's the word that comes to mind when you approach the Royal Monastery of Brou. You will first see the diamond-shaped patterns of its colored roof and the carved white stone of its facade. But behind its heavy door, you will discover it even more superb!
A masterpiece of the flamboyant gothic style
Unique in France, thechurch of the royal monastery of Brou is a masterpiece of flamboyant gothic. You will recognize this style thanks to its numerous decorative motifs and the complex design of the vaults : a play of curves and counter-curves imitating the movement of flames.
In Brou, the flamboyant gothic style is particular! It is of Brussels style. In other words, you will see similar churches in Belgium, in Brussels, Leuven or Antwerp, but none in France.
The nave, pure and grandiose, contrasts with the choir where your eye will be overwhelmed by the abundance of decorative motifs, from the floor to the vaults. The stone lace is everywhere, up to the three made of marble and alabaster, decorated with statuettes of saints, sibyls andemblems.
Between the nave and the choir, a rood screen
(one of the few preserved in France), which you will use to reach the apartments of
. It offers you another point of view on the tombs, the stained glass windows, the church and its arcades.
© David Bordes
The monastery, vision of an ideal city
Imagined by Marguerite of Austria in the smallest details, with the complicity ofartists andFrench workmen, then of its Brussels architect Louis van Boghem, the royal monastery of Brou wants to be the incarnation of an ideal city.
With its numerous vaulted rooms dedicated to the life of the monks in the past, its organization reflects that of society at the end of the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime. It is divided between the nobility, the clergy and the third estate. Alongside the church, there are One for the guests, one for the monks and one for the clerks .
The three cloisters of the royal monastery of Brou have another particularity. They are with high and low galleries. This architecture is not very common in France, and is usually found in Italy or in the Iberian Peninsula. .
in a record time(26 years!), the royal monastery of Brou benefits from a real unity of style, between medieval tradition and Renaissance style. Its conservation is exceptional because very few modifications have been made to the building in the last five centuries. During your You will discover it as it was imagined at the beginning of the 16th century by Marguerite of Austria and her architects.
© Philippe Berthé
