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Handout #108 |
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The foundation of La Grande Chartreuse (1084 A.D.) |
| Bruno, having left the city of
Rheims, planned also to break with the world and, fleeing from all
dealings with his fellows, which he found distasteful, he went to the
district of Grenoble. There he chose for his dwelling place a mountainous
peak with great precipices, and utterly terrifying, which one reached by a
very difficult and rarely used path. Below it was a valley situated at the
foot of a sheer cliff. It was there that he founded his rule and it is
there that his followers live today.
The church is not very far from the foot of the mountain. It has a somewhat undulating roof. Thirteen monks live there; they have a cloister which would suit the cenobitic rule very well, but they do not lead a communal life in the cloister like other monks. What happens is that each has his own cell around the cloister: they work, sleep and eat there. On Sunday each of them receives his food from the steward, namely bread and vegetables, and they cook this remarkable diet in their cells. The water that they use to drink and for other purposes comes from a spring by a conduit which goes round the cells and runs into each room through special openings. They have fish and cheese on Sunday and also on feast days ...They do not go into their church at the times to which we are accustomed, but only at certain hours. They hear mass on Sundays and on solemn feast days. They hardly ever speak, for if they need anything they ask for it by sign language. They are under the direction of a prior: however, the Bishop of Grenoble, who is a very religious man, exercises the functions of abbot and superior. Though they condemn themselves to poverty, by contrast they accumulate books in their very rich library ...The place is called La Chartreuse. They do not cultivate the land much to produce grain, but they have the custom of obtaining the cereal they need in exchange for the fleeces of sheep which they rear in large numbers. Guibert of Nogent, monk (1053-1124),History of his Life. |
