Moissac Abbey Cloister  

Plan of Moissac cloister with numbered capitals. Plan © Quitterie Cazes. See our Moissac Cloister Photo Gallery for views of all of them.

Location map and aerial view of Moissac Abbey Cloister. For a larger interactive view, see our France Map.

The cloister of Moissac Abbey Church in southwest France is one of the finest galleries of Romanesque art in the world and the oldest and largest cloister with narrative capitals. Completed in 1100 AD, it contains 76 capitals plus 12 large pillar reliefs in a large cloister measuring 31 meters by 27 meters.

Moissac's capitals are beautifully carved and in surprisingly good condition for their venerable age, except that virtually all the faces have sadly been smashed. Dramatically shaped like upside-down pyramids, the distinctive capitals of Moissac are carved over their entire surface, including the abacus (flat part at the top). Many of them have Latin inscriptions explaining the scene.

Subjects of the sculptures include delicate foliage, animal and human figures, biblical scenes and legends of the saints, all combined in an apparently random order that forms no narrative. Of the 76 total capitals, 46 depict narrative scenes from the Bible or the lives of the saints and 11 of those illustrate the Old Testament. Interestingly, none of the sculptures depict scenes from the Passion.

Below is a fully illustrated guide to the subjects of each capital and pillar in the Moissac cloister, using the modern numbering system found in the official visitor's guide and, e.g., the Blue Guide to Southwest France. The numbers correspond to the plan of the cloister at right, which is from the visitor's guide. Capital Roman numerals refer to pillar reliefs.

It may take a few moments for all the photos to load. Click on any photo to enlarge. To browse all the capitals plus general views of the cloister, please see our large Moissac Cloister Photo Gallery.

West Gallery I St. Philip 1 Sacrifice of Abraham This famous test of Abraham's obedience is told in Genesis 22:1-19. 2 Glorification of the Cross (abacus: monsters) Angels hold tall Latin crosses draped with cloth. Each cross has a chi-rho in the center. 3 Acanthus leaves 4 Birds in combat (abacus: lions) 5 Daniel in the Lion's Den; Announcement to the Shepherds The annoucement to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-16) is on the south and west faces; Daniel kept safe by God in the lions' den (Daniel 6) on the north face. The east face has two standing goats (labeled CAPRAS), presumably as part of the shepherd scene on the south face. The style of these animals and inscriptions parallels that of Daniel's lions on the north face, making a nice transition between the two seemingly unrelated scenes. 6 Acanthus leaves 7 Monsters with battle equipment Little monsters or demons holding bows and horns, probably representing the devil or evil unleashed on the world. 8 Raising of Lazarus This story is told in John 11:1-43. On the west face, Lazarus is shown standing up in a simple sarcophagus, wrapped in his grave clothes. Someone assists him from the left and Christ stands on the right with a raised arm. The other faces of the capital show onlookers and probably Mary and Martha weeping at Christ's feet. 9 Palm leaves 10 Mythical beasts and animals (roses, stems and snakes on the abacus) II Dedicatory inscription (west face); St. Simon (east face) The very important inscription on this pillar provides a precise date for the cloister: ANNO AB INCARNATIONE AETERNI PRINCIPIS MILLESIMO CENTESIMO FACTUM EST CLAUSTRUM ISTUD TEMPORE DOMINI ANSQUITILI ABBATIS AMEN. "In the year 1100 of the Incarnation of the Lord Eternal, this cloister was constructed, at the time of Dom Ansquitil, Abbot, Amen." After the inscription are four lines of initials: VVV, MDR, RRR, and FFF. Their meaning has not yet been deciphered. 11 David anointed by Samuel After the death of King Saul, God commands Samuel to anoint David as king. David is called in from tending sheep in Bethlehem, and Samuel anoints him with oil from a ram's horn (1 Samuel 16:1-13). 12 Foliage design 13 Birds and wild animals 14 Acanthus leaves 15 The Beatitudes Figures holding stylized leaves inscribed with eight of the Beatitudes ("blessed are the...") from the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12). 16 Lions in combat, human faces Pairs of lions with sharp teeth claw at humans and each other. In the corners, their tails wind together like snakes. 17 Cain and Abel 18 Foliage design 19 Ascension of Alexander the Great? On the north face, a headless man lassos two large birds with ropes; on the south face, the man is also wrapped in the ropes. On each abacus, two angels hold a medallion with a human face in it. 20 David and Goliath This famous story is told in 1 Samuel 17. III St. Bartholomew South Gallery IV St. Matthew 21 Herod's Feast; Beheading of John the Baptist Matthew 14:1-12 22 Birds in plants (abacus: two-headed eagles) 23 Babylon 24 Birds in combat (abacus: animal masks spewing interlaces) 25 Dream of Nebuchadnezzar (abacus: palmette frieze and inscription) According to Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon (c 630-562 BC) had a dream of a statue which no one could interpret except the prophet Daniel. 26 Martyrdom of St. Stephen The first Christian martyr, Stephen was stoned to death by a mob (Acts 7). 27 Acanthus leaves (abacus: lions) 28 David and angelic musicians (mythical birds and animals on the abacus) 29 Jerusalem V Undecorated red marble panel   30 Well of the Abyss This unusual subject is identified by an inscription. It presumably refers to Revelation 9: " The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the well of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace." 31 Symbols of the Four Evangelists (abacus: wild animals fighting) For more info, see our article on the Symbols of the Four Evangelists. This subject occurs again on capital 71. 32 Canaanite woman and centurion 33 The Good Samaritan (abacus: populated foliage, inscription) The Parable of the Good Samaritan is told in Luke 10:25-37. 34 Temptation of Christ After Jesus was baptized and fasted for 40 days, the devil tempted him three times (Matthew 4:1-11). 35 Apocalyptic Vision of St. John 36 Transfiguration The transfiguration of Jesus, in which he appeared in glory with Moses and Elijah before the disciples Peter, James and John (Matthew 17:1-9). 37 Imprisonment and miraculous escape of St. Peter (abacus: frieze of devils and relief inspired by Kufic script) This story is told in Acts 12:1-18. 38 Baptism of Christ For the biblical basis see Matthew 3:13-17. As in most medieval depictions, Christ is shown naked and waist-deep in the wavy waters of the River Jordan. John the Baptist baptizes him from the left while a dove descends from above. Two apostles bring him clothes. On the sides of the capital, two angels carry a book and a cross respectively. VI St. Paul

East Gallery VII St. Peter 39 Samson and the lion This story is told in Judges 14:5-20. 40 Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul (inscription on the abacus) A small recess on the side of the capital facing the gallery once held relics of these saints. The side facing the courtyard seems to show an angel embracing the souls of Peter and Paul. 41 Foliage design (stems entwining roses and alphabet on the abacus) 42 Adam and Eve 43 Acanthus leaves 44 Martyrdom of St. Lawrence 45 Christ washing the disciples' feet (abacus: medallion held by two angels, containing hand of God and a head) 46 Palm leaves (abacus: birds in combat in foliage) 47 Lazarus and the Rich Man (abacus: frieze of cherubs, inscription) Not to be confused with the Lazarus who was raised from the dead, this is a parable in which a poor beggar named Lazarus receives his reward in heaven and the rich man Dives who refused to help him is punished in hell. 48 Griffins fighting, with human heads in their claws VIII Durand de Bredons (d.1071) Durand de Bredons was the first Cluniac abbot of Moissac and also Bishop of Toulouse. He was declared a saint shortly after his death and is shown with a halo. 49 Men seizing eagles by the neck 50 Wedding at Cana 51 Foliage design with pinecones 52 Adoration of the Magi; King Herod; Massacre of the Innocents 53 Palmettes with animal masks/muzzles (abacus: lions and griffins) 54 Acanthus leaves This design is especially similar to classical Corinithian capitals. 55 Martyrdom of St. Saturnin St. Saturnin was the first bishop of nearby Toulouse from about 250 AD. There was a Capitoline temple in the city center, whose oracle began to fail. The pagan priests attributed this to Saturnin's presence and, after refusing to sacrifice to pagan idols, he was dragged to death by a bull down the streets of Toulouse. The south face of this capital presumably shows his condemnation by the pagan priests, while the north face shows him dragged by the bull with his head being smashed on the steps of the Capitoline temple on the east face. The west face depicts the saint in a mandorla, ascending to heaven. (More info on Saturnin from Wikipedia.) 56 Acanthus leaves 57 Martyrdom of Sts. Fructueux, Augure, and Euloge The joint martyrdom of Fructueux, Augure and Euloge (French), a.k.a. Fructuosus, Augurius and Eulogius (Latin). Saint Fructuosus was the first bishop of Tarragon and he was martyred along with his deacons Augurius and Eulogius by burning in 259 AD. Legend has it that after their ropes burned away, they spread their arms in memory of the crucifixion. 58 Annunciation; Visitation IX St. James North Gallery X St. John 59 Angels slaying dragons A praying man stands in the middle of the action, probably to teach that the prayers of a holy man help good overcome evil. 60 Eagles (abacus: pairs of fish) 61 Foliage design (abacus: lions, griffins, ram, and goat) 62 Two miracles of St. Benedict (abacus: foliage and inscription) 63 Birds in combat 64 St. Peter healing a paralytic 65 Foliage design (abacus: interlaced birds, stags and horses in combat) 66 Heavenly Court Four archangels with spread wings, one on each face. 67 Miraculous catch of fish (abacus: dragons) This miracle performed by the post-resurrection Christ is told in John 21:1-14. XI Grey marble slab decorated with designs   68 Daniel in the Lion's Den; Habakkuk and the Angel (abacus: people and animals fighting) Daniel's story is told in Daniel 6. The other story is from Daniel 14:32-36 (also known as Bel and the Dragon), an apocryphal section that has not made it into most English translations of the Bible. An angel takes Habakkuk by the hair to Babylon, to feed Daniel while he is in the lions' den. 69 Crusaders in Jerusalem? This capital depicts a procession of soldiers and an angel outside a city, probably representing the Crusaders in Jerusalem. The first crusade was in 1095 and this cloister was completed in 1100. 70 Foliage design of Mozarbic influence (abacus: more foliage and a pretend Kufic script) 71 Symbols of the Four Evangelists This is the second occurence of this subject in the cloister (the other is capital 31). 72 Birds fighting 73 Three Hebrews in the fiery furnace (abacus: mandorlas held by angels containing hand of God, Lamb of God, head of Christ, and dove) 74 Life of St. Martin (abacus: animals, griffins, inscription) The inscription explains: "Martin, while still a catechumen, gave a pauper half of his cloak. Christ then appeared to him, wearing the garment. When a bishop, he raised a novice from the dead." (MARTINVS ADHVC CATEHCVMANVS HAC ME VESTE CONTEXIT HIS MARTINVS ELECTVS DEI PONTIFEX) 75 Foliage design 76 Jesus and the Samaritan woman This story is told in John 4:1-26. XII St. Andrew

Quick Facts

Article Sources

Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:

1. Personal visit (July 10, 2009).
2. Moissac Abbey. Book purchased at the Moissac Abbey shop.
3. Blue Guide Southwest France, 333-35.

Article last updated: 07/28/2009.

Sacred Destinations Home    Contact    Follow on Twitter    About    Using Images    Advertise    Spiritual Tours    Timeshares    Blog    Privacy Policy
Except where indicated otherwise, all content and images © 2005-09 Sacred Destinations. All rights reserved.
Free content for your Google homepage or website! Get our daily photo gadget.
Sacred Destinations is an online travel guide to sacred sites, pilgrimages, holy places, religious history, sacred places, historical religious sites, archaeological sites,
religious festivals, sacred sites, spiritual retreats, religious travel and spiritual journeys. We are a Yahoo Pick!
Popular categories: Ancient Mysteries, Biblical Sites, Cathedrals, Catholic Shrines, Footsteps of Jesus, Luther Sites
Popular sacred sites: Easter Island, Lourdes, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Oberammergau Passion Play, Shroud of Turin 2010, Sistine Chapel, St. Mark's Basilica, St. Peter's Basilica, Stonehenge
Popular city guides: Rome, Ravenna, Ephesus, Assisi, Paris, Jerusalem
Popular maps: England Map, Italy Map, Jerusalem Map, London Map, Paris Map, Rome Map
Stock photos of sacred places: Sacred Destinations Photography