The Pays d' Aude - Narbonne, France
The Pays d' Aude
a cradle of Christianity
The Pays d' Aude is an old Christian land, although the area adopted the new religion of Christianity relatively late, in the second half of the 3C. The present -day Aude was in the heart of a region known originally as Narbonesis, and later as Septimania. The Gallo- Roman civilisation was already established in the region at that time, and was influenced by many different cultures and religions. The first christian communities settled in Narbonne, the main town in this part of the Mediterranean. Christians gradually moved into the surrounding countryside, which soon became part of a vast Visigothic kingdom.
Following the creation of a bishopric in Narbonne in the 4C and one in Carcassonne in 587, the practice of
Christianity became widespread in the region. By the 8 C the religion was so well established in the Pays d' Aude that the area withstood pressure from Muslim incursions. With the arrival of the Franks, and especially during the reign of Charlemagne and his successors, the Carolingian kings, the expansion of Christinaty was supported by the building of new churches in the centre of rural towns and cities alike. The parish church became a central rallying point for Christian communities.
it was also at this time that the first monastic communities appeared, all of which adopted the rule of St.Benedict of Nursia. The Pays d' Aude was soon covered with a " white blanket" of Benedictine abbeys, the the most influential of which included Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Polycarpe, Sainte-Marie de Monolieu, Saint-Pierre and St Paul de Caunes- Minervois, Saint - Papoul and Sainte- Marie d' Alet.
a cradle of Christianity
The Pays d' Aude is an old Christian land, although the area adopted the new religion of Christianity relatively late, in the second half of the 3C. The present -day Aude was in the heart of a region known originally as Narbonesis, and later as Septimania. The Gallo- Roman civilisation was already established in the region at that time, and was influenced by many different cultures and religions. The first christian communities settled in Narbonne, the main town in this part of the Mediterranean. Christians gradually moved into the surrounding countryside, which soon became part of a vast Visigothic kingdom.
Following the creation of a bishopric in Narbonne in the 4C and one in Carcassonne in 587, the practice of
Christianity became widespread in the region. By the 8 C the religion was so well established in the Pays d' Aude that the area withstood pressure from Muslim incursions. With the arrival of the Franks, and especially during the reign of Charlemagne and his successors, the Carolingian kings, the expansion of Christinaty was supported by the building of new churches in the centre of rural towns and cities alike. The parish church became a central rallying point for Christian communities.
it was also at this time that the first monastic communities appeared, all of which adopted the rule of St.Benedict of Nursia. The Pays d' Aude was soon covered with a " white blanket" of Benedictine abbeys, the the most influential of which included Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Polycarpe, Sainte-Marie de Monolieu, Saint-Pierre and St Paul de Caunes- Minervois, Saint - Papoul and Sainte- Marie d' Alet.
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