The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault (in French: ''abbaye de Fontevraud'') was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in the former French duchy of Anjou. It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preacher Robert of Arbrissel. The foundation flourished and became the center of a new monastic Order, the Order of Fontevraud. This order was composed of double monasteries, in which the community consisted of both men and women — in separate quarters of the abbey — all of whom were subject to the authority of the Abbess of Fontevraud. The Abbey of Fontevraud itself consisted of four separate communities, all managed by the same abbess. The first permanent structures were built between 1110 and 1119.Melot (1971) The area where the Abbey is located was then part of what is sometimes referred to as the Angevin Empire. The King of England, Henry II, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their son, King Richard the Lionheart, were all buried here at the end of the 12th century. It was seized and disestablished as a monastery during the French Revolution. The Abbey is situated in the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire within the Loire-Anjou-Touraine French regional natural park (''Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine''). The complex of monastic buildings served as a prison from 1804 to 1963. Since 1975, it has hosted a cultural centre, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest.

History

Founder

Robert of Arbrissel had served as the

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

of the Diocese of Rennes, carrying out the reformist agenda of its bishop. When the bishop died in 1095, Robert was driven out of the diocese due to the hostility of the local clergy. He then became a hermit in the forest of Craon, where he practiced a life of severe penance, together with a number of other men who went on to found major monastic institutions. His eloquence and asceticism attracted many followers, for whom in 1096 he founded a monastery of canons regular at La Roë, of which he was the first abbot. In that same year

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

summoned him to Angers and appointed him an apostolic missionary, authorizing him to preach anywhere. His preaching drew large crowds of devoted followers, both men and women, even lepers. As a result, many men wished to embrace the religious life, and he sent these to his abbey. When the canons of that house objected to the influx of candidates of lower social states, he resigned his office and left the community. Catholic Encyclopedia ''Robert of Arbissel''

Fontevraud

Around 1100 Robert and his followers settled in a valley called ''Fons Ebraldi'' where he established a monastic community. Initially the men and women lived together in the same house, in an ancient ascetic practice called

Syneisaktism Syneisaktism is the practice of "spiritual marriage", which is where a man and a woman who have both taken vows of chastity live together in a chaste and non-legalized partnership. More often than not, the woman would move into the house of the man, ...

. This practice had been widely condemned by Church authorities, however, and under pressure the community soon segregated according to gender, with the monks living in small

priories A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of monk ...

where they lived in community in service to the nuns and under their rule. Sometime before 1106, Fulk IV, Count of Anjou gave a significant property gift to the abbey. They were recognized as a religious community in 1106, both by the Bishop of Angers and by Pope Paschal II. Robert, who soon resumed his life of itinerant preaching, appointed

Hersende of Champagne Hersende of Champagné (1060 – 1 December 1114) was the founder and first Abbess of Fontevraud Abbey. Biography Hersende was born in Anjou to a noble French family in or after 1060. Hersende had been married twice and widowed twice. She becam ...

to lead the community. Later her assistant, Petronilla of

Chemillé Chemillé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. In January 2013 it became part of the new commune Chemillé-Melay, which became part of Chemillé-en-Anjou in December 2015.Rule of St. Benedict. Unlike the other monastic orders characterized by double monasteries, the monks and nuns of the Order of Fontevrault followed the same Rule. In his Rule, Robert dealt with four principal points: silence, good works, food and clothing, encouraging the utmost in simplicity of life and dress. He directed that the abbess should never be chosen from among those who had been brought up at Fontevrault, but that she should be someone who had had experience of the world (''de conversis sororibus''). This latter injunction was observed only in the case of the first two abbesses and was canceled by Pope Innocent III in 1201. At the time of Robert's death in 1117, there were about 3,000 nuns in the community. In the early years the Plantagenets were great benefactors of the abbey and while Isabella d'Anjou was the abbess, King Henry II's widow, Eleanor of Aquitaine, made the abbey her place of residence. Abbess Louise de Bourbon left her crest on many of the alterations to the abbey building which she made during her term of office. Richard1TombFntrvd

Decline

With the passing of the Plantagenet dynasty, Fontevrault and her dependencies began to fall upon hard times. At the end of the 12th century, the Abbess of Fontevrault, Matilda of Flanders (1189–1194), complained about the extreme poverty which the abbey was suffering. As a result, in 1247 the nuns were permitted to receive inheritances to provide income for their needs, contrary to monastic custom. The fragile economic basis of the Order was exacerbated by the devastation of the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

, which lasted throughout the 14th century. A

canonical visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

of fifty of the priories of the Order in 1460 showed most of them to be barely occupied, if not abandoned.

Suppression and later history

The Order was dispersed during the French Revolution. In November 1789, all property of the Catholic Church was declared to be the property of the nation. On 17 August 1792, a Revolutionary decree ordered evacuation of all monasteries, to be completed by 1 October 1792. At that time, there were still some 200 nuns and a small community of monks in residence at Fontevraud. The last abbess, Julie Sophie Charlotte de Pardaillan d'Antin, is said to have died in poverty in Paris in 1797. The abbey became a prison in 1804. The prison was planned to hold 1,000 prisoners and the former abbey required major changes, including new barracks in addition to the transformation of monastic buildings into dormitories, workshops, and common areas. Prisoners—men, women and children—began arriving in 1814. Eventually it held some 2,000 prisoners, earning the prison the reputation of being the "toughest in France after Clairvaux" (also a former abbey). Political prisoners were subjected to the harshest conditions. Under the Vichy Government, some French Resistance prisoners were shot there. In 1963 it was given to the French Ministry of Culture, and a major restoration was undertaken. In 1975 the Centre culturel de l'Ouest was formed to preserve the abbey and promote it as a cultural venue. The complex was opened to the public in 1985. Restoration of the abbey church according to the earlier restoration under the architect Lucien Magne was completed in 2006. The order was revived by Mme Rose in 1806 as one for women only and following a modified rule.Cross, F. L., ed. (1957) ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. London: Oxford University Press; p. 512

List of abbesses

Marie Madeleine de Rochechouart abbesse de Fontevraud

* Petronille de Chemillé (1115–1149) *

Matilda of Anjou Matilda of Anjou, also known as Mahaut ( – 1154) was married in 1119 to William Adelin, son and heir apparent of Henry I of England. Life Matilda was the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou, and his first wife Ermengarde, Countess of Maine. In ...

(1149–1154) * Audeburge of Hautes-Bruyères (1155–1180) She founded Amesbury Abbey, near

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

in England, in 1177 * Gilles or Gillette (1180–1189) * Adélaide (1189) * Matilda of Flanders (1189–1194) * Matilda of Bohemia (1194–1207) * Marie of Burgundy (1207–1208) widow of

Odo II, Duke of Burgundy Odo II (1118 – June 27 or September 27, 1162) was Duke of Burgundy between 1143 and 1162. Family Odo was the eldest son of Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy and Matilda of Mayenne, daughter of Gauthier, Count of Mayenne and Adelina de Presles. Odo ma ...

* Alice of Bourbon (1208–1209) daughter of the previous abbess * Adele (or Alice) of Brittany (1209–1218) daughter of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her son second husband Odo II, Viscount of Porhoët * Bertha (1218–1228) * Alice of Blois (1228–1244) daughter of Theobald V, Count of Blois, and his second wife

Alix of France Alice of France (french: Alix; July/August 1150 – 1197/1198) was countess consort of Blois by marriage to Theobald V, Count of Blois. She was regent of Blois during the absence of her spouse in 1190-1191, and regent during the minority of Loui ...

. * Mabile of La Ferté (1244–1265) * Jeanne de Dreux (1265–1276) * Isabeau Davoir (1276–1284) * Marguerite de Pocey (1284–1304) * Eleanor of Brittany (1304–1342) * Isabel of Valois (1342-?) * Marie of Brittany (1457–1477) * Anne of Orléans (1477–1491) * Renée de Bourbon (1491–1534) * Louise de Bourbon (1534–1575) * Éléonore de Bourbon (1575–1611) * Louise de Bourbon de Lavedan (1611–1637) * Jeanne-Baptiste de Bourbon (1637–1670) *

Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart Gabrielle may refer to: * Gabrielle (given name), a French female given name derived from Gabriel Film and television * ''Gabrielle'' (1954 film), a Swedish film directed by Hasse Ekman * ''Gabrielle'' (2005 film), a French film directed by Pa ...

(1670–1704) * Louise-Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1704–1742), niece of the previous abbess * Marie-Louise de Timbrone (1753–1765) * Julie-Gillette de Pardaillan d'Antin (1765–1792)

Architecture

Church

Abbaye Fontevraud - Eglise Abbatiale, facade ouest.jpg, West facade Abbaye de Fontevraud - 006.JPG, Chevet Abbaye_Fontevraud_-_Interieur_Eglise_Abbatiale.jpg, Nave interior Abbaye de Fontevraud - 064.JPG, View of choir, ambulatory, and choir chapel

Cloister

Cloitre grand moutier.jpg, Abbaye de Fontevraud - 120.JPG, Abbaye de Fontevraud - 127.JPG, Abbaye_Fontevraud_-_Cloître_du_Grand-Moûtier.jpg,

Chapter house

Salle capitulaire de Fontevraud.jpg Abbaye_de_Fontevraud_-_Entree_salle_capitulaire.jpg, Loire Maine Fontevraud2 tango7174.jpg, Abbaye de Fontevraud - 111.JPG, Abbaye de Fontevraud - 109.JPG,

Features

The abbey was originally the site of the graves of King Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their son King Richard I of England, their daughter

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events * Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multi ...

, their grandson Raymond VII of Toulouse, and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of Henry and Eleanor's son

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

. However, there is no remaining corporal presence of Henry, Eleanor, Richard, or the others on the site. Their remains were possibly destroyed during the French Revolution. The bodies of the French monarchs were likewise removed from the

Basilica of St Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

in 1793 by order of the French government. Henriette Louise de Bourbon, granddaughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, grew up here. Princess Thérèse of France, daughter of Louis XV, is also buried here.

Cultural references

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

described the experiences of a thirty-year-old prisoner at Fontevraud in his semi-autobiographical novel, ''

Miracle de la rose A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

'', although there is no evidence that Genet was ever imprisoned there himself. ''

La Cage aux Rossignols ''A Cage of Nightingales'' ( French: ''La Cage aux rossignols'') is a 1945 French film directed by Jean Dréville. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story, and served as an inspiration for the film '' The Chorus'' (2004). Synopsis ...

'' (''A Cage of Nightingales''), a French film released in 1945, was filmed at the abbey.

References

Bibliography

* * * *Melot, Michel (1971) ''L'abbaye de Fontevrault''. Paris: Jacques Lanore *Müller, Annalena (2014), Forming and Re-Forming Fontevraud. Monasticism, Geopolitics, and the Querelle des Frères (c. 1100–1643), doctoral dissertation, Yale University 2014. *Pohu, J. (1961) ''L'abbaye royale de Fontevrault''. Fontevraud: l'abbé Pohu *Pohu, J. (1979) ''The royal abbey of Fontevraud''. Fontevraud: l'abbé Pohu

External links

Official site in French

Official site in English

Fontevraud Royal Abbey on Google Cultural Institute

* ttp://www.montjoye.net/abbaye-de-fontevraud Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, lot picture about gisants, in French {{Authority control