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From the charm of its cloister to the prestige of its sculptures
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The visit of the Abbey of Saint-Papoul starts with the marvellous cloister which was built at the beginning of the 14th century. It is composed of a series of arcades ending on small twin columns. Their capitals are richly decorated with sculptures of plants or animals. The few capitals illustrated with Biblical scenes are concentrated around the pillars. Through the galleries, the cloister opened the way, in the west, to the storerooms, (no longer present), in the south, towards the refectory, in the east towards the chapter house and in the north towards the church.
In the abbey church, the choir, completely restored in 2003, is composed of 2 bays with semi-circular vaulting, with a traverse on half-columns, and a half dome. It is decorated with Romanesque capitals and a 14th century wall-niche tomb, a flatbottomed recess. Its roof is made of sculpted stone flags interleaving in a truncated cone shape (unique architectural ensemble). The wide nave opens on the northern side to four chapels dating from the 14th century.
Outside, on the semi-circular apse, you can admire the largest body of Romanesque capitals and brackets attributed to the « Maître de Cabestany », a remarkable sculptor of the end of the 12th century. Two are illustrated, one depicts « Daniel in the Lions' Den », the other « the Punishment of the People of Babylon ». A permanent exhibition of plaster casts of Maître de Cabestany's works is presented in the former monastery refectory.
The keystones in the vaulting of the chapter house represent the coat-of-arms of Bernard de la Tours, the first bishop of Saint Papoul. Today it is the vestry and is closed to visits.
Fortified during the 14th century, the village has kept its corbelled half-timbered houses and also the diocesan jail called « la Tour des Gardes » (the Guards' Tower). The former bishop's palace and the so-called «Varnish» wind mill also deserve your attention.
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