La Ferté Abbey (french: Abbaye de la Ferté; la, Firmitas) was a

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 A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

founded in 1113 in La Ferté-sur-Grosne in the present commune of Saint-Ambreuil,

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is Bo ...

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 ...

, the first of the four great daughter-houses 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 ...

. It was dissolved in 1791.

History

The

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

was founded in 1113 by

Stephen Harding Stephen Harding (french: Étienne Harding) ( 106028 March 1134) was an English-born monk and abbot, who was one of the founders of the Cistercian Order. He is honoured as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Life There is little archival ev ...

as the first daughter house of

, the mother house of the Cistercian reform. Along with

Morimond Abbey Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cis ...

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ; la, Clara Vallis) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; the present structure dates from 1708. Clairvaux Abbey was a ...

and

Pontigny Abbey Pontigny Abbey (french: Abbaye de Pontigny), the church of which in recent decades has also been the cathedral of the Mission de France, otherwise the Territorial Prelature of Pontigny (french: Cathédrale-abbatiale de Notre-Dame-de-l’Assompt ...

it was one of the four primary abbeys of the Cistercian order to which all other Cistercian houses were affiliated. It stood on a wild site located between the forest of Bragny and the swampy land of the

Grosne Grosne () is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in northeastern France. See also *Communes of the Territoire de Belfort department The following is a list of the 101 communes of the Territoire de ...

. It benefitted greatly from the generosity of the entourage of the

Dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

and of the local nobility, especially the family of Gros de Brancion, and rapidly gained wealth and importance. In 1165-66 it was caught up in the conflicts between

Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy Hugh III (1142 – August 25, 1192) was Duke of Burgundy between 1162 and 1192. As duke, Burgundy was invaded by King Philip II and Hugh was forced to sue for peace. Hugh then joined the Third Crusade, distinguishing himself at Arsuf and Acre. He d ...

, and Counts Gerard of Mâcon and William of Chalon. The conventual buildings were reconstructed in the 13th century. In 1362 the abbey was occupied by the roaming brigands known as the ''

Tard-Venus Tard-Venus (French, "latecomers") were medieval groups of ''routiers'' (mercentaries or bandits) that ravaged Europe in the later years of the reign of King John II of France. History When the Treaty of Brétigny was signed May 8, 1360, the peace t ...

''. It was fortified in 1415, but this did not prevent it from being looted in 1562 und 1567. In 1570 it was set on fire by the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

troops of Gaspard de Coligny; the only buildings to survive were the church, the sacristy, the chapter house and an adjoining room. The abbot François de Beugre obtained permission in 1574 to sell lands in order to fund the rebuilding. The final works - the construction of the dormitory and the redecoration of the church - were completed in the early 17th century under his successor, Yves Sauvageot. In 1682 the abbot Claude Petit refurbished the abbot's lodgings and the cloister, while the fortification wall was demolished and the defensive ditch filled in. Further works were undertaken by the abbot François Filzjean de Chemilly in about 1760, principally to the frontage of the abbot's residence, which bears his arms. The last abbot, Antoine-Louis Desvignes de la Cerve, commissioned a scheme of interior redecoration from the local architect Rameau, for which he granted him a pension. The abbey was dissolved in 1791 during 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 ...

, by which time the community numbered only 14 monks, and some of the outbuildings were occupied by the workers, some of them women, from the cotton factory which had been established elsewhere on the site. The buildings were sold as national assets and largely destroyed, including the abbey church.

Present

The only substantial survival of the premises is the 18th century abbot's house, now known as the Château de la Ferté, built on a slight elevation, with a two-storey central block of three bays, wings of four bays with

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

s and corner blocks of two bays. This building contains the original monastic

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

. It was listed as a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' in 1993. Château de la Ferté-sur-Grosne, ancienne abbaye cistercienne

Daughter houses

La Ferté was the direct founder of five daughter houses: *

Maizières Abbey Maizières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: * Maizières, Calvados, in the Calvados ''département'' * Maizières, Haute-Marne, in the Haute-Marne ''département'' * Maizières, Meurthe-et-Moselle, in the Meurthe-et- ...

in France (with its daughter house

Sturzelbronn Abbey Sturzelbronn (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Stirzelbrunn'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. The village belongs to the Pays de Bitche and to the Northern Vosges Regional Natu ...

) *

Tiglieto Abbey Tiglieto Abbey (''Badia di Tiglieto'', also known as ''Santa Maria alla Croce de Civitacula'') is a monastery in Tiglieto, Liguria, northern Italy. It was the first Cistercian abbey to be founded in Italy, and also the first outside France. The ...

in Italy (with its daughter houses

Staffarda Abbey Staffarda Abbey (''Abbazia Santa Maria di Staffarda'') is a Cistercian monastery located near Saluzzo in north-west Italy; it was founded as a daughter house of Tiglieto Abbey in 1135 by Manfred I, Marquis of Saluzzo. The abbey became an import ...

and

Casanova Abbey Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

) *

Lucedio Abbey Lucedio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Maria di Lucedio'') is a 12th-century former Cistercian foundation near Trino, Piedmont, Trino, which is now in the province of Vercelli, north-west Italy. It played an important role in the development o ...

in Italy (with its daughter houses

Rivalta Scrivia Abbey Rivalta (from Latin ''Ripa Alta'') may refer to: Populated places * Rivalta, Lesignano de' Bagni * Rivalta, Pocenia * Rivalta, Reggio Emilia * Rivalta Bormida * Rivalta sul Mincio * Rivalta Scrivia * Rivalta di Torino * Rivalta Trebbia * Ri ...

, Chortaiton Abbey in Greece and the Abbey of St George, Jubin near

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

in Turkey) * Barona Abbey in Italy * St Sergius's Abbey in the

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

List of abbots

*1113–1117 : Philibert *1117–1123 : Obizon *1123–1132 : Pierre I *1132–1171 : Barthélémy I *1171–1178 : Guillaume I *1178–1194 : Hervé de Faverney *1194–1199 : Bruno I *1198–1199 : Guillaume II *1199–1201 : Nicolas *1203–1205 : Eudes *1205–1206 : Pierre II *1206–1229 : Simon *1230–1232 : Boniface *1232–1233 : Vincent *1233–1234 : Guillaume III *1234–1239 : Robert *1239–1266 : Barthélémy II *1266–1276 : Jean I *1276–1285 : Gérard *1285–1297 : Rufin *1287–1317 : Pierre III de Montcalier *1317–1321 : Huges *1321–1341 : Jean II de Marcilly *1341–1346 : Bruno II *1346–1357 : Durand de Marcilly *1357–1371 : Claude I *1371–1385 : Pierre IV de Marcilly *1385–1392 : Guy de Saint-Romain *1392–1412 : Etienne I de La Chèze *1412–1416 : Guillaume IV *1416–1419 : Etienne II de Marcilly *1419–1439 : Jean III de Beaune *1439–1470 : Jean IV de Saint-Pierre *1470–1506 : Claude II de Dinteville *1506–1549 : Antoine I de Vienne *1549–1567 : René Dantoncour *1567–1569 : Elzéar de Rastel *1569–1574 : Louis de Breschard *1574–1600 : François I de Beugre *1600–1655 : Yves Sauvageot *1655–1677 : Pierre V Bouchu *1677–1710 : Claude III Petit *1710–1725 : Jean-Marie Vernois de Montjournal *1725–1733 : Jean-Charles Descriveux *1733–1761 : François II Filzjean de Chemilly *1761–1783 : François III Claude-Gaspard de Cannablin *1783–1791 : Antoine II Louis Desvignes de La Cerve

Notes

Sources and external links

Abbaye de la Ferté

Certosa di Firenze: La Ferté
* Auberger, Jean-Baptiste, 2000: ''La Ferté'', in: André Vauchez (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages''. James Clarke & Co: Cambridge * Peugniez, Bernard, nd: ''Routier cistercien'' (2nd edn), pp. 61–62. Editions Gaud: Moisenay {{DEFAULTSORT:La Ferte Abbey Ferte 1113 establishments in Europe 1110s establishments in France Religious organizations established in the 1110s 1791 disestablishments in France Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Saône-et-Loire Monuments historiques of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté