Royaumont Abbey is a former Cistercian

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 con ...

, located near

Asnières-sur-Oise Asnières-sur-Oise (, literally ''Asnières on Oise'') is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. The 13th–18th century Royaumont Abbey is located in the commune. Population Twin towns * Cutigliano, Ita ...

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.

, approximately 30 km north of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

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

It was built between 1228 and 1235 with the support of Louis IX. Several members of the French Royal family were buried here (and not in

Saint Denis Basilica The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

), for example, three children and two grandchildren of Louis IX. The thirteenth century encyclopedist

Vincent of Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

was a brother at the Abbey as well. The abbey was dissolved in 1791 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 ...

and the stones were partly used to build a factory. However, the sacristy,

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

, and

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 ...

remained intact. In 1836 and 1838, respectively, two operas by German composer

Friedrich von Flotow Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow /flo:to/ (27 April 1812 – 24 January 1883) was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera ''Martha'', which was popular in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th. Life ...

opened at Royaumont—''Sérafine'' and ''Le Comte de Saint-Mégrin''. In the early 20th century, the abbey was bought by the Goüin family who in 1964 created the Royaumont Foundation, the first private French cultural foundation. Today, the abbey is a tourist attraction and also serves as a cultural centre.

World War I

From January 1915 to March 1919 the Abbey was turned into a voluntary hospital, Hôpital Auxiliaire 301, operated by

Scottish Women's Hospitals The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Services (SWH) was founded in 1914. It was led by Dr. Elsie Inglis and provided nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, cooks and orderlies. By the end of World War I, 14 medical units had been outfitted and ...

(SWH), under the direction of the French Red Cross. It was especially noted for its performance treating soldiers involved in the Battle of the Somme. After the war the Chief Medical Officer, Miss Frances Ivens CBE MS(Lond) ChM(Liverp) FRGOG (1870–1944), was awarded membership of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Royaumont Abbey in popular culture

The novel ''In Falling Snow'' by Australian writer Mary-Rose MacColl (first published in Oct. 2012) is set at Royaumont during the time when it was a military hospital and refers to historical figures like Ms Ivens. The abbey was used as a filming location for the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

boarding school in Jean Delannoy's '' Les amitiés particulières''. On 15 June 1971, Pink Floyd performed live here in front of an audience at the invitation of the Daudy family, the abbey's current owners. The family are well known in France for their cultivation of artistic talent, their generous philanthropy and their visionary taste in music and dance.

Gallery

File:Plan de l'abbaye de Royaumont (Louis Boudan, vers 1700).jpg, Overview of the abbey around 1700 File:Plan de l'abbaye de Royaumont.jpg, Plan of Royaumont before 1791 with the church ("A") still intact File:Abbaye de Royaumont - Réfectoire des moines 01.jpg, Refectory File:Asnières-sur-Oise (95), abbaye de Royaumont, réfectoire des moines, orgue Cavaillé-Coll.JPG, Pipe organ in the refectory File:Asnières-sur-Oise (95), abbaye de Royaumont, cloître, côté nord 4.JPG, Cloister File:Asnières-sur-Oise (95), abbaye de Royaumont, bâtiment des moines, vue depuis l'est 1.JPG, Entrance File:Asnières-sur-Oise (95), abbaye de Royaumont, bâtiment des latrines, vue depuis le nord-est.JPG, Latrine building File:Asnières-sur-Oise (95), abbaye de Royaumont, bâtiment des latrines, vaisseau sud, vue vers l'ouest 1.JPG, Latrine building, inside File:View palaisroyaumont.jpg, ''Palais abbatial''

References

External links

*
Official site of the Royaumont FoundationPhotos of the abbeyRomanes.com: abbey picturesMore photos (flickr.com)Abbaye de RoyaumontIn Falling Snow
{{Authority control Religious buildings and structures completed in 1235 Gardens in Val-d'Oise Cistercian monasteries in France Buildings and structures in Val-d'Oise Christian monasteries established in the 13th century Tourist attractions in Île-de-France Tourist attractions in Val-d'Oise Louis IX of France