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Cluny Abbey

abbey, Cluny, France

Quick Summary

Cluny Abbey, founded in 910 in Burgundy, France, was a pivotal Benedictine monastery. It initiated reforms during a time of lax monasticism, adhering strictly to the Benedictine Rule. The abbey operated independently, subject only to the pope, and established a centralized order where all affiliated houses answered to the mother abbey. The town of Cluny grew around the abbey, receiving a charter in 1090. The abbey's magnificent Romanesque basilica, built between 1088 and 1130, was once the world's largest church. Both the town and abbey suffered during the 16th-century religious wars and were closed during the French Revolution. Saint Odo of Cluny, the second abbot, was instrumental in spreading Cluniac reforms and strengthening ties with the papacy.12

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