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 Milestone
on the Via Domitia
(1 Roman mile = 1 481 m)
Lands,
along Via Domitia, already cultivated with vines,
would accommodate
10 centuries later the Abbey of Fontfroide.
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Wine making prosperity lasted until the end
of Pax Romana. Then came a period of invasions from East,
North and South, which brought desolation and misery.
Recovery of vine growing
culture in this region restarted many centuries after.
In IXth century with Benedictine monks and then from the
XIIth century with Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Fontfroide,
who allowed vines to take over their rights and planted
them in numerous "granges" (farmhouses).
Ceramic
tile of a stove
in the Abbey Salem (Germany)
Cistercians,
great precursors of agricultural techniques, became
great winemakers in the Middle Ages.
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Image
of religious life at the end of 19th century
Cistercian
community united by the order of Saint Benoit (VI
century) needed wine for the Eucharist as well as
for their own daily consumption, which was authorised
by the rules. They specified limit of consumption
per person: "one hemine of wine daily is sufficient",
in fact between 33 and 50 cl. However abstention
was also preferable: "since wine makes even
wise men." But at the same time the good father
could distribute more wine if working conditions
or the summer heat led to a greater demand or necessity.
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Fortified
"grange" Fontcalvy,
at least one day of walk from Fontfroide
To
solve the contradiction between their enclosure
in the "desert" and the necessity to survive
by cultivating the most fertile lands, the Cistercians
set up farmhouses, which were run by lay brothers.
In the Cistercian order lay brothers were religious
persons, not monks, to whom their manual work was
their liturgy. They were shepherds, farmers or winemakers
in the farmhouses of the abbey. |
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Abbey
Fontfroide had 25 farmhouses and favoured polyvalent
cultivations, concentrating especially on breeding and
olive and vine growing.
In the
IXth century at Fontfroide or, to be more exact, in Saint-Julien
de Septime, one of the oldest and closest farmhouses of
the abbey, monks grew grapevines, where such variety as
grenache noir or blanc had already been planted. They
produced sweet wines, which could support a voyage, since
the wines of Fontfroide were taken all the way to Avignon
to be served at the Papal table.
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Saint-Julien
de Septime: ancient Cistercian
farmhouse on the lands of Fontfroide
Chateau
St Julien de Septime still houses a winery. The
word "septime" indicates that it is situated
7 roman miles from Narbonne. |
Extract
of a Narbonne merchant's brochure
dating back to the end of the XIXth century.
In the XVIIIth
century, the last Cistercian community of Fontfroide
produced wines for ceremonies as well as quality
red wines, which were exchanged for the ceremonies
in the abbey of Hautecombe, situated on the border
of lake Bourget. This red wine was also an object
of commerce for the abbey, the traces of which are
easy to recover…
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