Saint Antoine l'Abbaye (, before 1991: ''Saint-Antoine''), also Saint-Antoine-en-Viennois, is a commune in the
Isère
Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.
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 ...
. On 31 December 2015 the former commune of Dionay was merged into Saint Antoine l'Abbaye.Arrêté préfectoral 30 September 2015
Formerly known as La-Motte-Saint-Didier, it was renamed after becoming the home of purported
relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
of
Saint Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great (; ; ; ; – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from Saint Anthony (disambiguation), other saints named Anthony, such as , by various epithets: , , , , , a ...
in the 11th century, and shortly afterwards of the original house of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony, founded here in 1095 as the result of miraculous cures from St. Anthony's Fire ascribed to the relics.
It was set up as a
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
community, whose
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
s cared for the shrine and the relics, while the Brothers cared for those suffering from the then common malady of St. Anthony's Fire. Over the course of the next two centuries, disputes between the Antonines and the Benedictines arose repeatedly. The Antonines were formed into an Order of
canons regular
The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...
in 1297. At that time the Benedictine monks were removed from the shrine, which was entrusted to the Antonines. In 1890 the
Canons Regular of the Immaculate Conception
The Canons Regular of the Immaculate Conception () are a Catholic religious order for men founded in France in 1871. They follow the Augustinian Rule and are part of the Order of Canons Regular of St. Augustine. They add the nominal initials of ...
were given the Abbey of St. Antony, which was the
motherhouse
A motherhouse or mother house is the principal house or community for a Catholic religious community.YourDictionaryMotherhouse/ref> One example is the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse in Kolkata, which functions as the congregation's headquart ...
of the congregation. It maintained that role from 1890 until 1903, when, following the anti-clerical laws passed by the French government in 1901, the community was transferred to
Andora
Andora () or Marina di Andora is a town on the Italian Riviera in the region of Liguria, included in the province of Savona.
Geography and climate
Andora is situated in the western part of the Italian Riviera between Capo Mele in the east and ...
, in the
Italian region
The regions of Italy () are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which are autonomous regions with special status. Under the Con ...
of
Liguria
Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
.
Monuments
Since 2009, the village has been a member of
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
(, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...
(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association and hosts many monuments, the most important of which are the
Abbey Church
A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD.
''Church'' is also ...
Sermoneta
Sermoneta is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Latina (Lazio), central Italy.
It is a walled hill town, with a 13th-century Romanesque church, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta (sometimes erroneously called a cathedral) ...