L’intervention archéologique de 2004 dans les galeries nord et est du cloître de l’abbaye de Caunes-Minervois

Résumé En

The existing cloister of the Caunes-Minervois abbey is a very sober work realised by the monks of the Congregation of St Maur at the end of the XVIIth century. The special nature of the site lies in the presence of remains of the medieval cloister, indicated by a paved stratum under the level of the Maurist cloister (-2,40 m approximately). Prior to alteration works, the excavations carried out in 20004 aimed at studying the remains of the medieval cloister. This operation brought to light a large part of the medieval north gallery and a consequent portion of the east one. Together with previous soundings, these include almost every part of the medieval cloister in the area of the existing cloister. However, certain questions still remain unanswered. We are unable to locate the medieval south gallery. At the very most, we can propose to place it under a modern béal crossing the convent according to a globally east-west axis. The discovery of a Romanesque semicircular arch in the alignment of the south arm of the transept seems to us a decisive element for the understanding of the building. This access associated with a fist threshold situated under the caladé level of circulation seems to indicate that an older (Romanesque) pavement may have been in use before the construction of the herringbone pavement. As a consequence, the age of the partly destroyed medieval small stone wall observed in the north gallery would be proved. As regards the relative chronology of the site, the evidences brought to light allow us to advance that the herringbone pavement (calade) belongs to the Gothic phase of reconstruction of the church nave.