St Guilhem le Desert

The pretty village of St Guilhem le Desert is situated just North of Gignac, a little east of the new A75 motorway.

St Guilhem was a knight, a paladin of Charlemagne and noted for his skill at arms, his religious beliefs and his short nose. While Guilhem was away at the wars, Charlemagne died and his son Louis came to the throne, and had distributed most of the available estates to others before Guilhem returned.

Guilhem was more than a little upset to return to find that the bank (so to speak) was empty and there was no reward for his defence of the land and the King in battle. Louis, who was fond of Guilhem, offered him various lands, all of which Guilhem, for one reason or another, refused.

Finally, in despair, Louis suggested that Guilhem raise an army and capture the Saracent lands of Orange , across the Rhône. This Guilhem did and in addition, first widowed and then married the beautiful Lady of Orange, Queen Orable (Don't laugh, it's true, really). Guilhem quickly had her re-named Gibourac.

Between them they founded the House of Orange which, through various connections, now rules in the Netherlands. In later life, Guilhem, still retaining his religious beliefs, turned whole heartedly to religion instead of battle. Seeking a spot far from the distractions of his Court, he endowed a monastery on the river Herault, where he later died and was buried.

Later on he was Canonised and his monastery at St Guilhem le Desert became a pilgrimage centre, a stop on the route to Compostella. The Abbey Church at St Guilhem le Desert is beautiful, and very well preserved, although when it fell into ruin in the last century, part of the Romanesque cloister was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York .

I read that negotiations were underway to get the missing part returned, but having scoured the internet, I see that the Metropolitan Museum opened it's "St Guilhem Cloister" exhibition in October 2003.

Before his death, Charlemagne had given the young Knight a reliquary cross, which contained pieces of the True Cross, and this Guilhem left to his Abbey, where it remains to this day. Little replicas made of biscuit, are available in the Abbey Church at St Guilhem le Desert, where they are said to give good protection against lightening. The jewelled reliquary cross is carried in procession through the village once a year on St Guilhem's feast day, the 3rd May.

Above the village, on the side of the cliff, you can see the ruins of a castle, once the abode of a Saracen giant. This evil chappy, called Don Juan, was defeated by Guilhem in single combat. St Guilhem le Desert is a perfect little village with, apart from the Abbey, beautiful houses in yellow stone, and a shady square, with a gushing fountain and a magnificent plain tree, spreading it's branches out in an offering of respite from the hot summer sun.

The village has one hotel, which I'm told is excellent.

La Taverne de l'Escuelle 5 rooms, bathroom, WC Place de la Liberte 34150 Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert Tel/Fax: 04 67 57 72 05

 

Today, apart from the Abbey, St Guilhem le Desert has many artists, in little studios around the square. If peace, quiet and beauty are necessary ingredients for an artist, then St Guilhem le Desert is an idyllic place in which to create, and one that is sure to be a memorable excursion for anyone visiting the Languedoc.

You can find St Guilhem Le Desert on Michelin map No: 339

Grid reference: G6

Or click here to see a basic location map

For lots of other Languedoc sightseeing ideas and to understand what these map points refer to, click here to go to my page on Languedoc sightseeing