![Senones 88 Saint-Gondelbert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Senones_88_Saint-Gondelbert.jpg)
Senones Abbey (''Abbaye de Senones'') 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 ...
abbey located in the valley of the
Rabodeau, in the present village of
Senones
The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where they ...
in
Grand Est
Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...
,
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 the middle of the 7th century by
Saint Gondelbert,
bishop of Sens
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Senonensis et Antissiodorensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Sens et Auxerre'') is a Latin Rite Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The Archdiocese compri ...
, who was also the first abbot.
[The name "]Senones
The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where they ...
" is the former name of Sens, after the name of Gallic people, and the new foundation is said to have been named by Gondelbert after his bishopric
The ''
Vögte
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'' ("advocates"), from at the latest the 12th century, were the Counts, later Princes, of
Salm
Salm may refer to
People
* Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck
* Salm ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad governor of Khurasan and Sijistan
* House of Salm, a European ...
, in whose lands the abbey stood. There was frequent conflict between the abbey and its ''Vögte'' up the end of the monastery's existence. In the 16th century however the conflicts became so severe that to resolve them required the intervention of
Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II (31 July 1527 – 12 October 1576) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (King ...
and Popes
Pius V
Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
and
Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...
; the resolution was not to the advantage of the abbey, which found itself from then on significantly weakened in relation to the claims of the Salms.
In the 12th century the abbey premises were rebuilt by abbot Anthony of Pavia, and included a round church, now vanished. At this time the abbey was responsible for the foundation of several small priories, including those at
Xures,
Léomont and
Vic-sur-Seille
Vic-sur-Seille (, literally ''Vic on Seille''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
People
It was the birthplace of Georges de La Tour.
Art museum
The art museum of Vic-sur-Seille, in French ', was cr ...
(all in the first third of the century),
Le Moniet (1126) and
Fricourt (in the mid-12th century). The priory at
Mervaville was a later foundation of the abbey, from the first quarter of the 13th century.
The abbey was the home during the first half of the 13th century of the monk and chronicler
Richer of Senones.
The reform of the
Congregation of St. Vanne was introduced in 1618.
By far the best known of the abbots of Senones was
Dom Antoine Calmet, famed for his extensive commentaries on the Bible, and author of other works including a history of Lorraine. (He also left a history of the abbey in manuscript).
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
was an admirer of the abbot, and stayed at Senones Abbey in 1754. Dom Calmet assembled a library of 15,000 volumes, and rebuilt the entire complex.
On 2 March 1793 the Principality of Salm was incorporated into the newly formed department of
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
and at that time the abbey was dissolved.
Buildings
The abbey's assets were sold off as national property. The buildings were bought by local industrialists who used them for textile works, which is what they remained until 1993, when they were acquired for preservation.
The buildings on the site today are all from the 18th century rebuilding under Dom Calmet, except for (a) the church, a 19th-century reconstruction apart from its bell tower, which is the only structure on the whole site remaining from the 12th century, and (b) the individual houses to the north, also 19th century, which stand on the sites of the old mill and a farm building.
The abbey has been listed as a ''
Monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture since 1983.
[ Ancienne abbaye]
Notes
Sources
Vosges-Archives.com: History of the abbey
{{Authority control
Benedictine monasteries in France
Buildings and structures in Vosges (department)
7th-century establishments in Francia
1793 disestablishments
Churches in Vosges (department)