Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of

Rives-en-Seine Rives-en-Seine () is a commune in the department of Seine-Maritime, northern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Caudebec-en-Caux, Saint-Wandrille-Rançon and Villequier.Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.

First foundation

It was founded by

Wandregisel Saint Wandregisel (french: Wandrille) (c. 605–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot. Life The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born around 605, near Verdun in the region then known as Austrasia. He was educate ...

or Saint Wandrille (d. 22 July 668) and his nephew Godo, on land obtained through the influence of Wandregisel's friend Saint Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen. Wandrille, being of the royal family of Austrasia, held a high position in the court of his kinsman Dagobert I, but wishing to devote his life to God, he retired to the abbey of

Montfaucon-d'Argonne Montfaucon-d'Argonne (, literally ''Montfaucon of Argonne'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is home to the Meuse-Argonne American Memorial. See also * Communes of the Meuse department The follo ...

, in Champagne, in 629. Later he went to Bobbio Abbey and then to

Romainmôtier Abbey Romainmôtier is a village and former municipality in the district of Orbe in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. In 1970 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipality Envy to form a new and larger municipality Romainmôtier-Envy R ...

, where he remained for ten years. In 648 he returned to Normandy and established the monastery of Fontenelle,Alston, George Cyprian. "Abbey of Fontenelle." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 17 November 2022 using the

Rule of Saint Columbanus Columbanus ( ga, Columbán; 543 – 21 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in pre ...

, which he had known at Bobbio; the deed of gift of the land is dated 1 March 649. It was one of the first Benedictine abbeys in Normandy and part of a powerful network of Carolingian monasteries spread across Normandy. Wandregisel first built a Carolingian style basilica dedicated to Saint Peter, nearly long, which was consecrated by Saint Ouen in 657. (This church was destroyed by fire in 756 and rebuilt by Abbot Ansegisus (823–33), who added a narthex and tower). The monastery acquired extensive property and was extremely successful at first. In 740 however there began a series of lay abbots, under whom the monastery declined. In 823 Ansegisus, nephew of Abbot Gervold, was appointed abbot of Fontenelle, which he reformed according to the practice at Luxeuil Abbey. The abbey soon became a target for Viking raids, culminating in that of 9 January 852 when it was burnt down and the monks fled with the relics of Saint Wandrille. After more than a century in temporary accommodation at

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

, Saint-Omer and Ghent, the community was at length brought back to Fontenelle by Abbot Maynard in 966 and a restoration of the buildings was again undertaken.''Routledge Revivals: Medieval France (1995)'', (William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, ed.) Routledge, 2017
Richard I of Normandy then sent Maynard to establish the Benedictine Rule at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. A new church was built by Abbot Gérard, but was hardly finished when it was destroyed by lightning in 1012. Undaunted by this disaster the monks once more set to work and another church was consecrated in 1033. Two centuries later, in 1250, this was burnt to the ground, but Abbot Pierre Mauviel at once began a new one. The work was hampered by lack of funds and it was not until 1331 that the building was finished.

Monks and arts

Meanwhile, the monastery attained a position of great importance and celebrity for the fervour and learning of its monks, who during the periods of its greatest prosperity numbered over 300. It was especially noted for its library and school, where letters, the fine arts, the sciences, and above all calligraphy, were cultivated. One of the most notable of its early copyists was Saint Harduin (Haduin), a celebrated mathematician (died 811) who wrote with his own hand four copies of the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

, one of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Epistles An epistle (; el, ἐπιστολή, ''epistolē,'' "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part ...

, a

psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...

, three

sacramentaries In the Western Christianity , Western Church of the Early Middle Ages , Early and High Middle Ages, a sacramentary was a book used for Liturgy, liturgical services and the Mass (liturgy), mass by a bishop or Priest#Christianity, priest. Sacramen ...

, and many other volumes of homilies and lives of the saints, besides numerous mathematical works. The ''Capitularia regum Francorum'', a collection of royal capitularies, was compiled under Abbot Ansegisus in the 9th century, who also commissioned a chronicle of the abbey, the '' Gesta abbatum Fontanellensium''. The monks of Fontenelle enjoyed many rights and privileges, among which were exemption from all river-tolls on the

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, and the right to exact taxes in the town of Caudebec. The charter dated 1319 in which were enumerated their chief privileges, was confirmed by

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

and Normandy in 1420, and by the

Council of Basle The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1449. It was convoked as the Council of Basel by Pope Martin V shortly before his death in February 1431 and took place in ...

in 1436. Some of the burials at the Abbey are *Saint Condedus (Conde), a 7th-century exile from England who became a monk *Saint Wando, Abbot, died around 756 AD *Saint Fulk of Fontenelle, 21st Abbot of Fontenelle *Saint Harduin of Fontenelle, died c. 811 AD *Saint

Bagnus Saint Bain (or Bainus, Bagne, Bagnus; died ), a disciple of Saint Vandrille, was a bishop of Thérouanne in northwest France, and then abbot of the monastery of Saint Wandrille in Normandy. His feast day is 20 June. Monks of Ramsgate account T ...

(Bagne), a monk, then Bishop of Therouanne, then Abbot of Fontenelle later in life. Died c. 710 *Saint Girald, a monk and then the Abbot of Saint Arnoul. He was asked by the Duke of Normandy to be the Abbot of Fontenelle. He was very exacting and was later murdered by one of his monks *Dom

Joseph Pothier Dom Joseph Pothier, O.S.B. (1835–1923) was a worldwide known French prelate, liturgist and scholar who reconstituted the Gregorian chant. Benedictine life Born in 1835 at Bouzemont, France, Dom Joseph Pothier was ordained a priest in the diocese ...

, Abbot of St Wandrille Abbey and scholar who reconstituted the Gregorian chant.

Decline and suppression

Commendatory abbot A commendatory abbot ( la, abbas commendatarius) is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey ''in commendam'', drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline. If a commendatory abbot is an ...

s were introduced at Fontenelle in the 16th century and as a result the prosperity of the abbey began to decline. In 1631 the central tower of the church suddenly fell, ruining all the adjacent parts, but fortunately without injuring the beautiful cloisters or the conventual buildings. It was just at this time that the newly formed Congregation of Saint Maur was reviving the monasticism of France, and the commendatory abbot Ferdinand de Neufville invited them to take over the abbey and do for it what he himself was unable to accomplish. They accepted the offer, and in 1636 began major building works. Not only did they restore the damaged portion of the church, but they added new wings and gateways and also built a great chapter-hall for the meetings of the general chapter of the Maurist congregation. They gave the abbey new life, which lasted for the next hundred and fifty years. During the French Revolution in 1791 Fontenelle was suppressed, and in the following year the property was sold by auction. The church was partially demolished, but the rest of the buildings served for some time as a factory and later passed into the possession of the de Stacpoole family, to be turned to domestic uses.

Second foundation

George Stanislaus, 3rd Duke de Stacpoole, who had become a priest and a domestic prelate of the pope, and who lived at Fontenelle until his death in 1896, restored the entire property to the French

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(

Solesmes Congregation The Solesmes Congregation is an association of monasteries within the Benedictine Confederation headed by the Abbey of Solesmes. History The congregation was founded in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI as the French Benedictine Congregation, with the then ...

), and a colony of monks from Ligugé Abbey settled there in 1893, under

as superior. Dom Pothier, a scholar who reconstituted the Gregorian chant and one of the most well-known Benedictines of the world, later was elected abbot of Saint Wandrille, becoming upon his installation on 24 July 1898 its first abbot since the French Revolution and its first regular abbot since the 16th century. This community was expelled under the "Association Laws" by the French government in 1901, and spent years in Belgium until they were able to return on 26 January 1931, where they have remained until the present. From 1907 until 1914, the abbey was rented by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, who lived there during the warmer months of the year with his lover, Georgette Leblanc. During the official visit of the British royal family to France, Queen Mary visited the monastery on 12 July 1917.

Buildings

Besides the chief basilica Saint Wandrille built seven other churches or oratories both inside and outside the monastic enclosure. All of these have either perished in the course of time, or been replaced by others of later date, except for the chapel of St Saturnin, which stands on the hillside overlooking the abbey. It is one of the most ancient ecclesiastical buildings now existing and, though restored from time to time, is still substantially the original construction of Saint Wandrille. It is cruciform, with a central tower and eastern apse, and is a unique example of a 7th-century chapel. In 1954, in the course of a treasure hunt, some young local scouts discovered three buried urns near at wall close to the chapel. The urns contained a total of about 500 gold coins, the latest dated 1748. The treasure was split between the abbey, as the property owner, and the parents of the boys. The abbey sold it share and used the proceeds to rebuild the outbuildings that had burned downed shortly after. The parish church of the village of

Saint-Wandrille-Rançon Saint-Wandrille-Rançon () is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north west France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Rives-en-Seine.Louis Lebrun Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

, martyred in 1794 during the Revolution. All have their own feast days, but 1 March (also the date of the foundation) is the feast of all the saints of Fontenelle. The present abbot, Dom Nault (succeeding to Dom Pierre Massein in 2009), is the 82nd in line from Saint Wandrille to hold the position.

List of abbots and priors

Abbots

Saint Wandrille Saint Wandregisel (french: Wandrille) (c. 605–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot. Life The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born around 605, near Verdun in the region then known as Austrasia. He was educate ...

, 649-668 *

Lambert of Lyon Saint Lambertus (Lambert, Landebertus), (625-688), Abbot of Abbey of Fontenelle and Bishop of Lyon (678-688). His feast day is celebrated on 14 April. He was son of Erlebert (son of Charibert de Haspengau) and so nephew of Robert I, Bishop of To ...

, 668–678, later bishop of Lyon *

Ansbert of Rouen Ansbert (died c. 695), sometimes called Ansbert of Chaussy, was a Frankish monk, abbot and bishop of Rouen, today regarded as a saint in the Catholic Church. Early life Ansbert was born at Chaussy-sur-Epte, a village in the Norman historical ar ...

, 678–690, bishop of Rouen * Saint Hildebert I, 694-701 * Saint Bain, 701-710 * Saint Bénigne, 710–716, and 719-724 * Saint Wandon, 716–719, and 747-754 *

Hugh of Champagne Seal Hugh ( 1074 – c. 1125) was the Count of Champagne from 1093 until his death. Hugh was the third son of Theobald III, Count of Blois and Adele of Valois, bearing the title Count of Bar-sur-Aube. His older brother Odo IV, Count of Troyes, die ...

, 719-723 * Saint Landon, 732-735 *

Teutsind Teutsind () was a Frankish cleric, abbot of St Martin, Tours, and of Fontenelle Abbey.W Davies and P Fouracre (2002): ''Property and Power in the Early Middle Ages'' (Cambridge University Press), pp.42-43Susan Wood, 2006: ''The Proprietary Chu ...

, abbot of Fontenelle and Saint Martin, Tours, 735–741. * Wido, lay abbot, also abbot of Saint-Vaast, 742-744 * Rainfroy, 744–748, archbishop of Rouen * Blessed Austrulfus, 748-753 * Witlaïc, 753-787 * Saint Gervold, previously bishop of Évreux, 787-806 * Trasaire, 806-817 * Hildebert II, 817-818 *

Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; la, E(g)inhardus; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita ...

, lay abbot, 818-823 *

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 ...

, 823-833 * Joseph I, 833–834, again in 841 * Saint Foulques, 834-841 * Herimbert, 841-850 * Louis (abbot of Saint-Denis) (d. 9 January 867; relative and arch-chancellor of Charles the Bald), 850-867 * vacant (), 867-886 * Ebles, 886-892 * Womar, 950-960 * Maynard, who left Saint Wandrille to become the first abbot of

Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...

, 960-966 * ? * Ensulbert or Enjoubert, c. 980-993 * ? * Saint Gerard, 1006-1029 * Saint Gradulphe, 1029-1048 * Robert I, 1048-1063 * Saint Gerbert, 1063-1089 * Lanfranc, nephew of

Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and then ...

, 1089-1091 * Gerard II (1091-1125) * Alain (1125-1137) * Saint Gautier (1137-1150) * Roger (1150-1165) * Anfroy (1165-1178) * Gautier II (1178-1187) * Geoffroy I (1187-1193) * Robert II (1193-1194) * Reginald (1194-1207) * Robert III de Montivilliers (1207-1219) * Guillaume I de Bray (1219-1235) * Guillaume de Suille, elected in 1235 * Robert IV d'Hautonne, 1235-1244 * Pierre Mauviel, 1244-1254 * Geoffroy II de Nointot, 1254-1288 * Guillaume II de Norville, 1288-1304 * Guillaume III de La Douillé, 1304-1342 * Jean I de Saint-Léger, 1342-1344 * Richard de Chantemerle, 1344-1345 * Robert V Balbet, 1345-1362 * Geoffroy III Savary, 1362-1367 * Geoffroy IV de Hotot, 1367-1389 * Jean II de Rochois, 1389-1412 * Guillaume de Hotot, elected in 1410 * Jean III de Bouquetot, bishop of Bayeux, 1412-1418 *

Jean Langret The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...

, beneficiary abbot, 1418-1419 * Nicolas Lovier, beneficiary abbot, 1419 * Guillaume IV Ferrechat, 1419-1430 * Jean IV de Bourbon, 1431-1444 * Jean de Brametot, 1444-1483 * Cardinal

André d'Espinay André d'Espinay (died 1500) (called the Cardinal of Bordeaux or the Cardinal of Lyon) was a French Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography André d'Espinay was born in Champeaux, Ille-et-Vilaine, ca. 1451, the son of Richard d'Espinay (c ...

, commendatory abbot, archbishop of Bordeaux, 1483-1500 * Urbain de Fiesque, papal appointee, 1483-1485 * Jean VI Mallet, elected in 1500, not confirmed * Philip of Cleves, commendatory abbot, 1502-1505 * Jacques Hommet, last regular abbot, 1505-1523 *

François Guillaume de Castelnau-Clermont-Lodève François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

, papal appointee, rejected * Claude de Poitiers, commendatory abbot, 1523-1546 * Michel Bayard, commendatory abbot, 1546-1565 * Gilles Duret, temporary governor, 1565-1567 * Pierre II Gourreau, commendatory abbot, 1567-1569 * Cardinal Charles de Bourbon, commendatory abbot, 1569-1578 * Gilles de Vaugirault, commendatory abbot, 1578-1585 * Nicolas de Neufville, commendatory abbot, 1585-1616 * Camille de Neufville de Villeroy, commendatory abbot, 1616-1622 *

Ferdinand de Neufville de Villeroy Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, commendatory abbot, 1622-1690 * Balthazar-Henry de Fourcy, commendatory abbot, 1690-1754 * vacancy 1754–1755 * Cardinal Frédéric Jérôme de La Rochefoucauld, commendatory abbot, 1755-1757 *

Louis-Sextius de Jarente de La Bruyère Louis-Sextius de Jarente de La Bruyère (Marseille, 30 September 1706 – Meung-sur-Loire, 29 January 1788) was a French prelate born in 1706. He was Bishop of Digne in 1747, Bishop of Orléans in 1757, and made commander in the Order of the Holy ...

, commendatory abbot, 1757-1785 * Cardinal Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne, commendatory abbot, 1785-1790

Restoration of 1894

After the restoration of religious life in 1894, Dom Jean-Martial Besse and Dom François Chamard were named superiors, after which Dom Joseph Bourigaud, the abbot of Ligugé Abbey, was named apostolic administrator in 1895 until the nomination of an abbot in 1898. * Dom

, O.S.B., sub-prior of Solesmes Abbey, then prior of Ligugé, superior (1895-1898) and abbot of Saint-Wandrille 1898–1923 (the first abbot since the abbey was suppressed in the French Revolution and the first regular abbot since Jacques Hommet in the 16th century) * Dom Jean-Louis Pierdait, O.S.B., claustral prior of Silos Abbey, coadjutor of Dom Pothier (1920-1923), abbot 1923–1942 * Dom Gabriel Gonthard, O.S.B., abbot 1943–1962 * Dom Ignace Dalle, O.S.B., abbot 1962–1969 * Dom Antoine Levasseur, O.S.B., abbot 1969–1996 * Dom Pierre III Massein, O.S.B., abbot 1996–2009 * Dom

Jean-Charles Nault Jean-Charles and Jean-Carles is a French masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jean Charles, Chevalier Folard (1669–1752), French soldier and military author * Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand (1817–1891), French engineer * ...

, O.S.B., abbot from 2009

Priors

* Genesius of Lyon, prior around 650, later almoner of

Saint Bathilde Balthild (; ang, Bealdhild, 'bold sword' or 'bold spear; around 626 – 30 January 680), also spelled Bathilda, Bauthieult or Baudour, was queen consort of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to Clovis II, the King of Neustria and Burgundy (639 ...

, wife of Clovis II * Guillaume Girard, prior of Jumièges Abbey, and administrator of Saint-Wandrille, 1636 * Philippe Codebret, sub-prior, 1636 * Paul de Riveri, 1636–1637 * Charles Fuscien de Lattre, 1637–1639 * Hervé Philibert Cotelle, 1639–1645 * Jacques Aicadre Picard, 1645–1651 * Guillaume Benoît Bonté, 1651–1652 * Jean Timothée Bourgeois, 1652–1656 * Jean Bernard Hamelin, 1656–1660 * Martin Bruno Valles, 1660–1663 * Jean Matthieu Jouault, 1663–1666 * Vincent Humery, 1666–1669 * René Anselme des Rousseaux, 1669–1670 * Edme du Monceau, sub-prior, 1669–1670 * Pierre Laurent Hunault, 1670–1674 * Pierre Boniface Le Tan, 1674–1675 * Claude Carrel, 1675–1678 * Marc Rivard, 1678–1684 * Pierre Noblet, 1684 * Gabriel Dudan, 1684–1687 * Guillaume Hue, 1687–1693 * Robert Deslandes, 1693 * Nicolas Sacquespée, 1693–1696 * Gabriel Pouget, 1696–1699 * Claude Hémin, 1699–1705 * Jean-Baptiste Jouault, 1705 * Jacques Joseph Le Paulmier, 1705–1711 * Pierre Chevillart, 1711–1714 * Martin Filland, 1714–1717 * Louis Clouet, 1717–1723 * François L'héritier, 1723–1729 * Jean Foulques, 1729–1733 * Louis Barbe, 1733-1739 and 1740–1745 * Pierre Eudes, 1739–1740 * Jean Lefebvre, 1745–1748 * Jacques Martin Le Sec, 1748–1752 * Jean-Baptiste Duval, 1752–1757 * François René Desmares, 1757–1761 * Nicolas Faverotte, 1761–1768 * Louis Valincourt, 1768-1769 and 1775–1778 * Noël Nicolas Bourdon, 1769–1775 * Philippe Nicolas Dupont, 1778–1781 * Jean François Daspres, 1781–1783 * Mathurin François Brissier, sub-prior, 1783 * Alexandre-Jean Ruault, 1783-1790 * Dom Joseph Pothier, 1895

References

Sources

* Patrick Leigh Fermor (2007). '' A Time to Keep Silence''. New York: NYRB. (Originally published: London: Queen Anne Press, 1953).

External links

*
Abbey website

{{Authority control Benedictine monasteries in France Carolingian architecture Christian monasteries established in the 7th century Buildings and structures in Seine-Maritime * Churches in Seine-Maritime Burial sites of the House of Normandy Churches completed in 649 7th-century churches in France