La Ferté Abbey (; ) was a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

founded in 1113 in La Ferté-sur-Grosne in the present commune of Saint-Ambreuil,

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the first of the four great daughter-houses of

Cîteaux Abbey Cîteaux Abbey ( ) is a Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. It is notable for being the original house of the Order of Cistercians. Today, it belongs to the Trappists (also called the Cistercians of th ...

. It was dissolved in 1791.

History

The

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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

was founded in 1113 by

Stephen Harding Stephen Harding () (28 March 1134) was an English-born monk and abbot, who was one of the founders of the Cistercian Order. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. Early life Stephen was born in south-west England and, as a youth, ...

as the first daughter house of

, the mother house of the Cistercian reform. Along with

Morimond Abbey Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of t ...

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ''l’abbaye de Clairvaux''; ) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux. As a primary abbey, it was one of the most significant monasteri ...

and

Pontigny Abbey Pontigny Abbey (), the church of which in recent decades has also been the cathedral of the Mission de France, otherwise the Territorial Prelature of Pontigny (), was a Cistercian monastery located in Pontigny on the River Serein, in the present ...

it was one of the four primary abbeys of the Cistercian order to which all other Cistercian houses were affiliated. It stood on a wild site located between the forest of Bragny and the swampy land of the Grosne. It benefitted greatly from the generosity of the entourage of the

Dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

and of the local nobility, especially the family of Gros de Brancion, and rapidly gained wealth and importance. In 1165-66 it was caught up in the conflicts between

Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy Hugh III (1142 – 25 August 1192) was Duke of Burgundy between 1162 and 1192. As duke, Burgundy was invaded by King Philip II and Hugh was forced to sue for peace. Hugh then joined the Third Crusade, distinguishing himself at Arsuf and Acre, w ...

, and Counts Gerard of Mâcon and William of Chalon. The conventual buildings were reconstructed in the 13th century. In 1362 the abbey was occupied by the roaming brigands known as the '' Tard-Venus''. It was fortified in 1415, but this did not prevent it from being looted in 1562 und 1567. In 1570 it was set on fire by the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

troops of Gaspard de Coligny; the only buildings to survive were the church, the sacristy, the chapter house and an adjoining room. The abbot François de Beugre obtained permission in 1574 to sell lands in order to fund the rebuilding. The final works - the construction of the dormitory and the redecoration of the church - were completed in the early 17th century under his successor, Yves Sauvageot. In 1682 the abbot Claude Petit refurbished the abbot's lodgings and the cloister, while the fortification wall was demolished and the defensive ditch filled in. Further works were undertaken by the abbot François Filzjean de Chemilly in about 1760, principally to the frontage of the abbot's residence, which bears his arms. The last abbot, Antoine-Louis Desvignes de la Cerve, commissioned a scheme of interior redecoration from the local architect Rameau, for which he granted him a pension. The abbey was dissolved in 1791 during the French Revolution, by which time the community numbered only 14 monks, and some of the outbuildings were occupied by the workers, some of them women, from the cotton factory which had been established elsewhere on the site. The buildings were sold as national assets and largely destroyed, including the abbey church.

Present

The only substantial survival of the premises is the 18th century abbot's house, now known as the Château de la Ferté, built on a slight elevation, with a two-storey central block of three bays, wings of four bays with

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

s and corner blocks of two bays. This building contains the original monastic

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

. It was listed as a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' in 1993. Château de la Ferté-sur-Grosne, ancienne abbaye cistercienne

Daughter houses

La Ferté was the direct founder of five daughter houses: * Maizières Abbey in France (with its daughter house Sturzelbronn Abbey) * Tiglieto Abbey in Italy (with its daughter houses Staffarda Abbey and Casanova Abbey) *

Lucedio Abbey Lucedio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Maria di Lucedio'') is a 12th-century former Cistercian foundation near Trino, which is now in the province of Vercelli, north-west Italy. It played an important role in the development of rice producti ...

in Italy (with its daughter houses Rivalta Scrivia Abbey, Chortaiton Abbey in Greece and the Abbey of St George, Jubin near

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

in Turkey) * Barona Abbey in Italy * St Sergius's Abbey in the

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

List of abbots

*1113–1117 : Philibert *1117–1123 : Obizon *1123–1132 : Pierre I *1132–1171 : Barthélémy I *1171–1178 : Guillaume I *1178–1194 : Hervé de Faverney *1194–1199 : Bruno I *1198–1199 : Guillaume II *1199–1201 : Nicolas *1203–1205 : Eudes *1205–1206 : Pierre II *1206–1229 : Simon *1230–1232 : Boniface *1232–1233 : Vincent *1233–1234 : Guillaume III *1234–1239 : Robert *1239–1266 : Barthélémy II *1266–1276 : Jean I *1276–1285 : Gérard *1285–1297 : Rufin *1287–1317 : Pierre III de Montcalier *1317–1321 : Huges *1321–1341 : Jean II de Marcilly *1341–1346 : Bruno II *1346–1357 : Durand de Marcilly *1357–1371 : Claude I *1371–1385 : Pierre IV de Marcilly *1385–1392 : Guy de Saint-Romain *1392–1412 : Etienne I de La Chèze *1412–1416 : Guillaume IV *1416–1419 : Etienne II de Marcilly *1419–1439 : Jean III de Beaune *1439–1470 : Jean IV de Saint-Pierre *1470–1506 : Claude II de Dinteville *1506–1549 : Antoine I de Vienne *1549–1567 : René Dantoncour *1567–1569 : Elzéar de Rastel *1569–1574 : Louis de Breschard *1574–1600 : François I de Beugre *1600–1655 : Yves Sauvageot *1655–1677 : Pierre V Bouchu *1677–1710 : Claude III Petit *1710–1725 : Jean-Marie Vernois de Montjournal *1725–1733 : Jean-Charles Descriveux *1733–1761 : François II Filzjean de Chemilly *1761–1783 : François III Claude-Gaspard de Cannablin *1783–1791 : Antoine II Louis Desvignes de La Cerve

Notes

Sources and external links

Abbaye de la Ferté

Certosa di Firenze: La Ferté
* Auberger, Jean-Baptiste, 2000: ''La Ferté'', in: André Vauchez (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages''. James Clarke & Co: Cambridge * Peugniez, Bernard, nd: ''Routier cistercien'' (2nd edn), pp. 61–62. Editions Gaud: Moisenay {{DEFAULTSORT:La Ferte Abbey Ferte 1113 establishments in Europe 1110s establishments in France 1791 disestablishments in France Monasteries dissolved during the French Revolution Christian monasteries established in the 1110s Buildings and structures in Saône-et-Loire Monuments historiques of Saône-et-Loire