February 17, 2017

2953 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Tamié Abbey


Situated in the Savoie region, on the eastern slopes of the Bauges mountain massif, at an altitude of 900 meters, the Cistercian abbey of Notre-Dame de Tamié is witness to a long history. Tamié Abbey was founded in 1132 by Saint Peter of Tarentaise, a monk from Bonnevaux Abbey, who was later to become the archbishop of Moûtiers. After a successful start in the golden age of the 12th Century, the abbey was adversely affected by prosperity, which led the monks away from the austere lifestyle on which the order was based.

In the late 17th century, Tamié was the first Cistercian abbey to adopt reforms (La Stricte Observance) that had first been applied at the Grande Trappe monastery in Normandy (hence the term Trappist); the abbey was rebuilt at this time, in respect of the Trappist rules of austerity. The French Revolution forced the monastery to close, and the monks to exile themselves. In 1861, monks from Besançon reopened Tamié. The monastery is financed by the work of the monks who work the land and gather the milk of surrounding farms to make their famed cheese, Abbaye de Tamié.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of the definitive series issued on  July 16, 2014, about which I wrote here.

References
Tamié Abbey... and its cheese - Serveur Savoie

Sender: Jean Yves Gerlat
Sent from Montbonnot-Saint-Martin (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 30.01.2017

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