Préaux Abbey
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Préaux Abbey (french: Abbaye Saint-Pierre des Préaux) was a
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
monastery dedicated to
Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...
at
Les Préaux Les Préaux () is a commune in the Eure department and Normandy region of France. History Several archaeological discoveries carried out on the territory of the commune testify to a human presence since the Neolithic period. Polished axes were ...
, in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
,
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 ...
.


History

The abbey was first mentioned in 833 by Saint
Ansegisus Saint Ansegisus (c. 770 – 20 July 833 or 834) was a monastic reformer of the Franks. Born about 770, of noble parentage, at the age of eighteen he entered the monastery of Fontenelle (also called St Wandrille after the name of its founder ...
, abbot of Fontenelle, but was destroyed by
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...
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 Christian monks and nuns. The c ...
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 Pont-Audemer () is a commune in the Eure department in the Normandy region in northern France.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 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 conside ...
, 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 el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...
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 grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
.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 Roger de Beaumont (c. 1015 – 29 November 1094), feudal lord (French: ''seigneur'') of Beaumont-le-Roger and of Pont-Audemer in Normandy, was a powerful Norman nobleman and close advisor to William the Conqueror. − Origins Roger wa ...
* Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick * Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preaux Abbey Religious buildings and structures completed in 1034 Christian monasteries established in the 9th century Christian monasteries established in the 11th century 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