Obazine Abbey, also known as Aubazine Abbey, 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 in the present town of

Aubazines Aubazines (; oc, Obasina), also spelled ''Aubazine'', is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aubazinois'' or ''Aubazinoises''. Geography Aubazi ...

in the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, ...

in the

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

in France.

History

The monastery was founded in about 1134 by Saint

Stephen of Obazine Stephen of Obazine also known as Stephen of Vielzot (french: Étienne de Vielzot, Étienne d'Obazine; (1085 1159), was a French priest and hermit, famed for his pious nature, even from a young age. He is commemorated on March 8. Religious life S ...

, who after his ordination, with another priest, Pierre, began the eremitical life. They attracted a number of followers and with the sanction of Eustorge, Bishop of Tulle, built a monastery on a site granted them by the Viscount Archambault. Before 1142 they had no established rule; however, in this year, St. Stephen was clothed with the regular habit. He had

monks train his followers in their mode of life, and affiliated his abbey to that of Cîteaux in 1147. As their number increased, several foundations were made. Before the Cistercian affiliation, the Abbey had a feminine monastery in Coyroux with a high closure. In Cîteaux, this organization wasn't common, but it improved the good reputation of Obazine. The Obazine Abbey had foundations in Limousin and Quercy, as farms all around

Rocamadour Rocamadour (; ''Rocamador'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Lot department in Southwestern France. It lies in the former province of Quercy. Rocamadour has attracted visitors for its setting in a gorge above a tributary of the River Dordogne an ...

, a famous sacred place of pilgrimage. These Cistercian farms were situated in Alix, Calès, Bonnecoste, Couzou, Carlucet, near Séniergues, and the last at

La Pannonie La Pannonie is an old village of the Lot (department), Lot region, between Gramat and Rocamadour, situated since the 19th century in the commune of Couzou. Now, the village is near an old castle built in the 15th century and transformed during t ...

. That ring of Cistercian presence in Quercy was able to provide furnish wood and food to pilgrims, to the monks of Rocamadour and to Obazine. They were not able however survive after the

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

. Some of them became little castles, such as La Pannonie and Bonnecoste, while others disappeared. Among the most distinguished abbots of Obazine were

François d'Escobleau François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

(d. 1628),

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

, and

Charles de la Roche-Aymon Charles Antoine, Count of La Roche-Aymon, born at Mainsat (Marche) on 17 February 1697 and died in Paris on 27 October 1777, was a French prelate, cardinal and grand aumônier de France. La Roche-Aymon was born in the diocese of Limoges in 1696, ...

(d. 1777),

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...

. The abbey was suppressed and its property confiscated by the government 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 ...

in 1791. The government then converted the abbey into a

bordello A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

for the remainder of the decade.

Church

The structure of the abbey church survived the Revolution and now after restoration serves as the parish church of Aubazines.

Gallery

References

External links

*
Town website of Aubazine
{{Coord, 45, 10, 29, N, 1, 40, 12, E, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Cistercian monasteries in France 1130s establishments in France Religious organizations established in the 1130s Churches in Corrèze Christian monasteries established in the 12th century

History

Church

Gallery

See also

References

External links