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This collection of naive paintings takes up six bays of the northern aisle of the abbey's cloister. |
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 ainted in the XVI century, these paintings evoke the life and the legend of Saint-Benoit.
In the XV and XVI centuries the life of saints had often been written, xylographed, and printed as a collection of images distributed and sold with great success. French painting and sculpture has shown little interest in the life of Saint Benoit. Only the capitals of Saint-Benoit sur Loire and two works dating from the XVIII century (paintings in Ebermüster in Alsace and stalls from Saint Ghislain of Mons in Tournai) are known.
THE ITALIAN INSPIRATION
In contrast to France, the subject of Saint-Benoit has often been covered in the Italian Benedictine convents. Very detailed stories can be found in San Miniato, Passignano, the Badia de Florence, and in Mount Jolivet. Similarly, painted cloisters are as common in Italy as they are rare in France. So it is only normal that the inspiration of those wall paintings should be found in an Italian book.
The paintings are indeed naive copies of six plates that the painter of Saint-Michel has reproduced, out of an anthology containing 24 engravings on the life of Saint-Benoit, drawn by Heinrich Stäcker of Münich.
Each of these engravings shows a period of Saint-Benoit's life during which he always makes a miracle happen. And the paintings in Saint-Michel seem to draw from these engravings. The numbers (7 to 12) of the panels in Saint-Michel indicate the existence of panels one to six and lead us to believe that the whole project consisted of copying the 24 engravings, six in each of the four aisles of the cloister.
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THE RESTORATION
Large paintings were uncovered by chance in July 1987, while restoration work as part of a Concordia project was carried out in the abbey by a group of young Scots.. The responsibility for the restoration of these paintings lay with Joêl Olivérès helped by Elisabeth Evangelisti, Hervé Langlois, Véronique Legoux and Françoise Lermann.
The paintings offer the visitor, a unique monumental and coherent collection spread over more than 60 square meters.
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Engravings by Stäcker |
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The inspiration of Stäcker came from the 50 engravings carried out by Philippe Thomassin, after the Bernardo Passari's drawings, illustrating the life of Saint-Benoit written in 1587 by Angelus Sangrinus, monk at Mount-Cassin. An early version was engraved in Rome in 1578 by Aliprando Caprioli. In addition to the Stäcker's engravings, Philippe Tomassin also inspired several paintings and stained-glass windows in Switzerland (Muri, Münsterlingen).
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SAINT-BENOIT'S LIFE
Born around 480 or 490 in the Nursie province, Saint-Benoit went to Rome to pursue literary studies. Irritated by the dissolute life of students, he left them to become a hermit in a cave near Subiaco where he lived three years only accompanied by his nurse. There, he set up twelve small monasteries.
His life, entirely dedicated to God, has been punctuated by miracles and prophesies.
Saint-Benoit died in 547 or 560.
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SAINT BENOIT'S RULE
Contrary to the other monastic orders, the spread of the Benedictine order is not based on the aura of its founder but on the success of its set of Rules. Saint-Benoit was well aware of the rules prior to those of Augustin and of Cassien or the oriental rules such as those of Pacome or Basile.
At the monastery, nothing was to be rude or burdensome. Saint-Benoit's rule was characterised by its balance and moderation.
Three virtues dominate: obedience, silence and humility. And two activities were at the core of daily life: prayers and work Everything was meticulously set so as to combat vice through a regular and reasonable practice of virtues. For fear of errant monks, Saint-Benoit ruled a settled way of life. For fear of disorderly praying, he ruled the office process. For fear of the excessive asceticism he ruled meals and sleep. The management of the monastery, to mix threat and reward, was granted to an abbot, elected for life, responsible for everybody's salvation.
And Saint-Benoit entrusted his disciples Maur and Placide with the Rules he had written.
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