Préaux Abbey () was a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery dedicated to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

at Les Préaux, in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

History

The abbey was first mentioned in 833 by Saint Ansegisus, abbot of Fontenelle, but was destroyed by

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

s. In 1033–1034 the abbey was refounded on the same site. In 1050–1051, Humphrey de Vieilles, following the wish of his wife Albreda, founded a second

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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

for women, the Abbey of Saint-Léger. The abbey was greatly endowed by the local lords Saint Peter's Abbey became an influential player in the region and oversaw the construction of parish churches including that of Saint-Germain at Pont-Audemer and the 12th-century church at Saint-Samson-de-la-Roque. In the second half of the 12th century, the monks of St. Peter attempted to found a city next to the monastery. A village charter is mentioned in 1078, but we have no knowledge of the characteristics of the custom applied to the town. The town never really took off and Alfred Canel reported that Préaux township was mentioned as a villa in a 14th-century act. During the French Revolution, the two abbeys that were the economic engine of the territory were, sold as national property.

Farming

The abbey owned two farms, one at Bosc-Auber belonging to Saint-Pierre, and one at Corbeaumont linked to Saint-Léger.

Water mills

The monasteries also exploited the

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

of the local stream. Each of the abbeys had its own mill, located in their own enclosure and a mill downstream, where their vassals were required to grind their

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

.SOREL Patrick, Les deux abbayes Saint Pierre et Saint Léger de Préaux et leurs moulins, Connaissance de l'Eure, n°132, avril 2004.

Burials

* Roger de Beaumont * Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick * Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preaux Abbey Buildings and structures completed in 1034 Christian monasteries established in the 9th century Christian monasteries established in the 1030s Buildings and structures demolished in the 18th century Buildings and structures in Eure Ruined abbeys and monasteries Former Christian monasteries in France Benedictine monasteries in France Ruins in Normandy