Environs d’Arles, Ruines du Chateau de Montmajour (France)

Environs d’Arles, Ruines du Chateau de Montmajour (France)

On this unused and very old postcard, a photo of what seems to correspond to this (courtesy of Wikipedia, abridged):  “Montmajour Abbey was a fortified Benedictine monastery built between the 10th and 18th centuries on what was originally an island five kilometers north of Arles.  The abbey is noted for its 11th–14th-century graves, carved in the rock, its subterranean crypt, and its massive unfinished church. It was an important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, and in the 18th century it was the site of a large Maurist monastery, now in ruin. The abbey and the landscape around it were frequently painted and drawn by Vincent van Gogh. In 1967, production for the film The Lion in Winter featured the abbey, Katharine Hepburn’s dressing room was infamously accommodated in the basement.  It has been listed since 1840 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.”  So even innocuous vintage postcards like this can have intriguing backstories.  Grade: 1

Name: Environs d’Arles, Ruines du Chateau de Montmajour (France)

From: THEMES/Religious Buildings

Code: 35001019

Price: $4.00