saint-michel-de-cuxa

Not being an avid hunter of ancient monuments,I went to this monastery to appease my more cultured friends,but I was won over by its atmosphere of peace. It is a beautiful setting and the buildings are in a good state of preservation. With a mix of underground caverns,fresh air cloisters and a solid church and tower,it made an ideal subject for a 1-2 hour tour. The multifaceted carvings on the red-marble pillars in the cloisters make a fascinating study by themselves. The history of the site as set out in one of the rooms was interesting and helpful without being over-academic.

Half of this abbey's cloister is now in the Cloisters Museum in upper Manhattan (part of the Met). But the half that is left, and the rest of the Abbey, make a visit well worth it. The setting, amid the mountains, and the clean Pyrenees air, beats anything in NYC.

An abbey, well restored with a view of Canigou to die for. Always worth a visit, but especially for the irises in April/May. Go to a concert during the Festival and see it at night. AND TELL THE YANKS TO GIVE BACK THE BITS OF THE CLOISTERS THEY HAVE IN NEW YORK!!

We went at the very end of a November day. There was no one else visiting. The 10th to 12th century monastery is spare and elegant. A monument of and to great spirituality. Too bad that the Cloisters Museum of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York doesn't return the extraordinary sections of cloisters that the Rockefeller's 'bought' after World War Two.

This is set in the countryside with a vfantastic view of mt Canagou in the backdrop. We went on a Sunday when access was free (Patramoni). You make your own way round the site. There is an Englishcard you can borrow to guide you round. Some of the Crypt and lower parts of the visit are quite dark and you have to take care when walking round. Low doors or uneven steps. Outside the peace and quiet is wonderful.There is a small shop.

It is an enchanting place to hear a concert especially when you think at the time Pablo Casals played there!

In a magnificent setting, the abbey offers a beautiful and peaceful visit. The information provided on entry, although basic, informs visitors about the history of the area. We could have stayed all day in the cloisters, magnificent.

quite an interesting visit overall , rthough the paper guide is a bit basic , bit dark and uneven underfoot at first

The church is simple and peaceful inside, although huge. The cloisters are beautiful and the carvings interesting. When we visited there were some interesting lighting art works in the crypt. NB it is part of the list of special monuments in the area and you will be given a little booklet with a stamp on the back for your visit to St Michel. If you get a stamp at each place I think you get discounts for entry (though we never had this explained to us at the time!)

If you ever visited the Cloisters Museum in NY, the monastry there is a mockup of st. Michel de Cuxa, with the original columns of the cloister having been "transfered" to NY from the original spot. It is heartbreaking to see the missing parts of the original cloister but the perfect manner in which the building lives in harmony with its environment, is a bit of compensation. A must to all visitors to the area.

It is a short but decent hike through the woods from Prades to this cathedral. Highly recommend this hike, if you have a couple of hours to spare. We couldn't get into the cathedral, since we arrived a few minutes after closing time. However, the scenery and the church from outside itself was well worth the visit. The peach trees next to the church were in bloom, making the whole scene pretty stunning.

Try to show up for a church service to feel the awe. Wonderful old cloisters and historic site at the base of Canigou.

a grand abbey, well worth the visit, we also bosught a bottle of wine, made by a local wine maker, from grapes prepared by the monks at the abbey.

Lovely buildings - stunning with the snow-capped Pyrenees behind - and especially worth visiting when the irises are flowering as there is a large garden just for them - a change from the usual roses.

I remember the cloisters very clearly and enjoyed visiting this interesting former Catalan monastery.