Reigny Abbey (''Abbaye de Reigny'') was a Cistercian monastery in

Vermenton Vermenton () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Sacy was merged into Vermenton.department of Yonne, Bourgogne,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

History

The abbey was founded in 1104 at Fontemoy as a hermitage, or small priory, by the knight Anseric of Avallon and Gui of Noyers. it grew quickly and in 1128 was accepted into the Cistercian Order as a daughter house of

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 ...

. The first abbot was Stephen of Toucy, a monk of Clairvaux. In 1134 the monastery was moved to the present site on the right bank of the river Cure, a gift to the community from William II, Count of Auxerre and Nevers. In 1147 it was granted papal protection by

Pope Eugene II Pope Eugene II ( la, Eugenius II; died 27 August 827) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 6 June 824 to his death. A native of Rome, he was chosen by nobles to succeed Paschal I as pope despite the clergy and the people fa ...

. The abbey continued to thrive and at its peak numbered up to 300 monks. The generosity of the local nobility provided it with sufficient estates to maintain this large population and engage in active trade with its surplus produce. In 1370 King

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...

granted it royal protection, and in 1493 Charles VIII made it a ''fondation royale''. It suffered severely however both during the Hundred Years' War and in the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

. In 1582 the

Huguenots 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 ...

destroyed most of it by fire, including the church. Vermenton Abbaye de Reigny Pigeonnier

The monastic buildings were rebuilt during the 17th-18th centuries. The new church was completed in 1759-1765; the work is often attributed to

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; as ...

but according to the French Ministry of Culture and Communication is by the less well-known royal architect Claude-Louis d'Aviler. The abbey was dissolved in 1790 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

; the community at that point comprised eight monks. Many of the buildings, among them the new church, the cloisters, the chapter house and the greater part of the conventual buildings, were destroyed. Many decorative items from the former abbey church are still to be found in churches nearby. The precinct and surviving buildings, principally comprising the exceptional 14th century

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 Lat ...

, the 17th century

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

and part of the south range of the conventual buildings restored in the 18th century, including the monks' parlour and dormitory, passed into private ownership. The site is now commercially run as a conference and event centre. The abbey site was classed as a '' monument historique'' in 1920.

References

* Peugniez, Bernard: ''Routier cistercien'', 2nd edn., pp. 73–74. Editions Gaud, Moisenay.

Sources and external links

Abbaye de Reigny website, incl. pictures

Cistercensi: Reigny

{{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in France 1104 establishments in Europe 1100s establishments in France 1790 disestablishments in France Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Yonne Monuments historiques of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté