The Abbey of Saint-Florent, Saumur, also Saint-Florent-lès-Saumur or Saint-Florent-le-Jeune, 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 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 conce ...

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

founded in the 11th century near

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

, France. It was the successor of the Abbey of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil which was abandoned by its monks during raids of the

Vikings 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 ...

. Following its surrender in 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 ...

, most of the monastic buildings were destroyed in the 19th century. The remainder were listed as a historical monument in 1964 and 1973.

History

Foundation

According to legend, as told by Célestin Port in his historical dictionary, the monk Absalon came to Anjou with the relics of his patron saint, which he had taken from the monks of

Tournus Tournus () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway. Pop ...

. He took refuge in caves on the banks of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

, in

Montsoreau Montsoreau () is a commune of the Loire Valley in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast and from Paris. The village is listed among '' The Most Beautiful Villages of France'' (french: Les Plus ...

, in which he was first considering to shelter the relics. This region was overlooked by the primitive castle of

, which then belonged to

Theobald I, Count of Blois Theobald I (913–975), called the Trickster (known as ''le Tricheur'' –meaning “cheater”– in French), was first Viscount of Blois and Viscount of Tours, and then from 956, Count of Blois, Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as Count of ...

. Informed of his presence, the count permitted him to settle with his treasure and a small group of monks within the bounds of the castle. He also sent for a colony of twelve benedictine monks from

Fleury-sur-Loire Fleury-sur-Loire (, literally ''Fleury on Loire'') is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overse ...

. The abbey of Tournus restored the sacred vases and a portion of the books and maps of Mont-Glonne. Hélie, Absalon's first companion, was given control of the new work, and, as of May 2, 950, could help consecrate the basilica. A "splendid" cloister was added to the monastery. This story, although likely inaccurate, has some plausible elements. The community, after a century of absence, did not return to the early site at Mont-Glonne, but to the

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...

of the city of Saumur, which was then on Thibault de Blois's land. The return took place between 956 and 973 with the foundation of a new abbey church. The Mont-Glonne territory, thenceforth

Saint-Florent-le-Vieil Saint-Florent-le-Vieil () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Mauges-sur-Loire.Foulques Nerra, the count of Anjou, took the city and the castle. The monks absolutely refused to move to the site in Angers that was offered to them.

Foundation outside of the city

The layout of the city forced the monks to build on the left bank of the

Thouet The Thouet () is a tributary of the Loire in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire regions of western France. The Thouet rises at Secondigny, close to the source of the Sèvre Nantaise, and joins the Loire just to the west of Saumur. It is ...

, near where this river joins the Loire. This was part of the land of the Verrie villa, which already belonged to the community. After all of these events, beginning in the fourth century, the latter half of the ninth century ushered in a period of expansion for the young abbey. It took the name of Saint-Florent-lès-Saumur, in contrast with Saint-Florent-du-Château (of Saumur). Left to themselves, the monks settled in one of their old estates, obtained in 849, near the church of Saint-Hilaire-des-Grottes. Six of them returned to the rebuilt castle of Saumur and built a small chapel there, which was consecrated by the bishop of Angers.

Late medieval issues

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, ...

transformed the abbey into a fortress visited in turn by various troops. The monks kept guard; royal letters dated 24 November 1369 forced all inhabitants of the levee on the right bank to keep watch there at all times. Abbots Jean and Louis du Bellay rebuilt the ruins and reconstructed the church and convent, but a greater problem surfaced soon after. Priories fell into the hands of laypeople or "friars who were no better", as D. Huynes says, even heretics, and the deserted chapels of obedience were transformed into granaries and stables. In the abbey itself, disorder reigned and festered among the proceedings of the abbots and friars.

Transfer of relics

In 1475, threatened by the approaching landing of the English army, King Louis XI made a long campaign in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

and

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 ...

. In the beginning of May, he had discovered the body of Saint Florent by chance in the church of Saint-Georges de Roye. Having definitively ended the Hundred Years' War in August, with the

Treaty of Picquigny The Treaty of Picquigny was a peace treaty negotiated on 29 August 1475 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France. It followed from an invasion of France by Edward IV of England in alliance with Burgundy and Brittany. It left Lou ...

, the king retook

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

on 24 November after an absence of sixteen months. His first trip after this return was a pilgrimage to Saint-Florent de Saumur, carried out on 7 December. This departure was unusual, as the king otherwise did not leave Tours until 10 February of the following year. By order of the king, transfer of the relics was completed in 1480 by the collegiate of Roye à Saumur. After his death, the royal canons had the power to partially reclaim them according to their own wishes.

References

{{reflist Benedictine monasteries in France Buildings and structures in Maine-et-Loire