Cordeliers Cloister, Medieval cloister in Saint-Émilion, France
Cordeliers Cloister is a medieval monastic complex in Saint-Émilion, built in limestone with a covered walkway of rounded arches and monolithic columns surrounding a central courtyard. Below the surface, a network of caves runs through the rock beneath the cloister buildings.
A first Franciscan monastery was destroyed in 1337, and the friars received permission the following year to build a new one within the town walls of Saint-Émilion. The cloister that survives today was built over the decades that followed and is now a classified historical monument.
The name Cordeliers comes from the cord belts worn by Franciscan friars over their robes. Today visitors walk through the cloister to reach the wine cellars carved into the rock below, giving the site an unusual double role as a religious monument and a working wine space.
The site can be visited both above ground and in the caves below, which are carved directly into the limestone. The underground sections are noticeably cooler year-round, so bringing a light layer is a good idea before heading down.
Since the late 1800s, the caves beneath the cloister have been used to age sparkling wines, taking advantage of the rock's natural temperature and humidity. This means that today the site functions at the same time as a historical monument open to visitors and an active wine cellar.
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