Bonnevaux Abbey (french: Abbaye de Bonnevaux; la, Bonae Valles) is a former

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monastery in Lieudieu near Villeneuve-de-Marc in the

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in the region of the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

, 25 kilometres east of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Saint-Jean-de-Bournay Saint-Jean-de-Bournay () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population International relations It is twinned with Wath-upon-Dearne Wath upon Dearne (shortened to Wath or often hyphenated) is a town south of ...

on the northern edge of the ''Forêt de Bonnevaux''.

History

Bonnevaux Abbey was founded in 1117 by Guy of Burgundy, also known as Guy of Vienne,

Archbishop of Vienne The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon. History The legend according to whic ...

, and later

Pope Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

, as the sixth daughter house of

Cîteaux Abbey Cîteaux Abbey (french: Abbaye de Cîteaux, links=no ) is a Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. It is notable for being the original house of the Cistercian order. Today, it belongs to the Trappists ...

. The abbey attained wealth through various privileges and endowments, including a number from the Dauphin, and possessed fifteen granges in Villeneuve-de-Marc,

Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. History The medieval architect and castle builder for Edward I of England, Master James of Saint George, also known as Jacques de Saint-Georges d'Esp� ...

, Beaurepaire, Primarette, Sainte-Anne-sur-Gervonde and Diémoz. It founded numerous daughter houses, all in France: Mazan Abbey, Montpeyroux Abbey, Tamié Abbey, Léoncel Abbey, Valmagne Abbey, Sauveréal Abbey, Valbenoîte Abbey and Valcroissant Abbey. The nunneries of Laval-Bénite Abbey and Bonnecombe Abbey were also under the jurisdiction of Bonnevaux. In the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

of the 16th century the abbey suffered severely. In 1576 it was looted by the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s and the church was laid waste. In the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

it was dissolved, looted again, set on fire and finally used as a quarry.

Buildings and appurtenances

A painting of about 1750 shows the precinct layout, with the church and its prominent western tower to the north, and the conventual buildings to the south of it. On the site of the monastery a memorial, consisting of a cross with an inscribed tablet, was set up in 1933 by Tamié Abbey. In 1938 the foundation stones were used for the construction of the church at Villeneuve-de-Marc. Today there are no visible remains of the abbey itself; an outlying grange with three aisles survives.

References

* Peugniez, Bernard, nd: ''Routier cistercien'' (2nd ed., p. 445). Moisenay: Editions Gaud. * Gerin, Patrick Gerin, and Pierry, Patrick: ''Les Granges à trois nefs de l'abbaye cistercienne de Bonnevaux en Dauphiné'' (''Bulletin de la Société des amis de Vienne'', Nr. 88, fasc. 1, 1993, pp. 22–25) * Bernard, Michel, 2000: ''La Fin de l'abbaye de Bonnevaux au début de la Révolution française'' (Chroniques rivoises, n.E. 30, Nov. 2000, pp. 39–44) * Chuzel, M.F., nd: ''Histoire de l’Abbaye de Bonnevaux'' (1932 edn., reprinted 2004). Ed. Lettres de France

External links

Encyclopedie-Universelle de la Langue francaise: Abbaye de Bonnevaux
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnevaux Abbey (Dauphine) Cistercian monasteries in France 1117 establishments in Europe 1110s establishments in France 18th-century disestablishments in France Buildings and structures in Isère Christian monasteries established in the 12th century