Built between 1088 and 1130, Cluny Abbey, known as Cluny III, was a Romanesque church of exceptional dimensions that earned it the nickname of Major Ecclesia, the largest church. Except for the part visible here, the monument was almost completely destroyed during the French Revolution. To bring the building down, the demolishers placed explosives at the foot of the great Romanesque portal at the entrance to the nave as well as at the pillars of the towers. Awarded to a merchant, Cluny Abbey was then transformed into a stone quarry sold in batches.