By Fontevraud Royal Abbey
Abbaye de Fontevarud
Fondée en 1101 aux confins des provinces du Poitou, de l’Anjou et de la
Touraine, Fontevraud est la plus vaste cité monastique héritée du Moyen
Âge. Au cœur de l’abbatiale, les gisants d’Aliénor d’Aquitaine, d’Henri II et de Richard Cœur de Lion rappellent qu’elle fut chérie des Plantagenêt. Transformée en prison de 1804 à 1963, puis inscrite en 2000 au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO
avec le Val de Loire, Fontevraud associe patrimoine, culture, art de
vivre et sens de l’hospitalité, poursuivant l’ambition de Cité Idéale
voulue par son fondateur.
Triptyque (2016) by Abbaye Royale de FontevraudFontevraud Royal Abbey
L'histoire de l'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud peut être appréhendée en 3 grandes périodes.
De 1101 à 1792, l'abbaye est fondée et se développe jusqu'à la Révolution qui mettra un terme à l'ordre fontevriste.
De 1804 à 1963, l'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud devient une des prisons les plus dures de France.
Enfin, depuis 1963, L'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud accueille des visiteurs et fait vivre un projet culturel.
Monastic Period
1101 - 1792
Founder
Robert of Arbrissel, an itinerant preacher, scandalised the Church with his mixed community.
Builder
In 1101, he settled his followers at Fontevraud and started construction of the future Abbey’s church.
A New Religious Order
The Order of Fontevraud was composed of men and women.
Statue de Saint-Benoît (2012-01-17) by Patrice GiraudFontevraud Royal Abbey
The Rule of the Order was based on the Rule of Saint Benedict : Ora et labora (prayer and work), poverty, chastity, obedience, silence...
An Order Headed by Women
Robert of Arbrissel entrusted the leadership of the Abbey and the Order to a woman, the abbess.
Renée de Bourbon (1650/1701) by Patrice Giraud - PhotographeFontevraud Royal Abbey
36 abbesses directed the Abbey and the Order of Fontevraud with the title "Chief and General of the Order."
Renée of Bourbon, 27th abbess, direct descendant of Saint Louis IX, King of France. She had the walls of the enclosure erected as well as the grille in the abbey church’s choir, separating the nuns from the rest of the world.
Portrait de l'abbesse Gabrielle de Rochechouart (2003-10-30) by Anne-Sophie AsherFontevraud Royal Abbey
Gabrielle of Rochechouart of Mortemart, called "the pearl of abbesses," sister of Madame of Montespan (Louis XIV’s notorious mistress) and 32nd abbess. Intelligent and cultivated, she tempered the severity of monastic life and invited writers and philosophers to the Abbey.
Her portrait is in the the chapter house.
Julie d'Antin, dernière abbesse de Fontevraud (2012-01-16) by Patrice GiraudFontevraud Royal Abbey
Julie of Antin, 36th and last abbess. While at the head of this powerful order, this abbess was confronted with the uprisings of the French Revolution which provoked the departure of the monastic community. In 1792 she was forced to flee the Abbey.
The Largest Monastic City of Europe
The monastic city contains four monasteries : three for women : the Grand Convent or St. Mary, St. Mary Magdalene, & St. Lazarus ; one for men : St. John of the Habit
Carte des monastères fontevristesFontevraud Royal Abbey
With 700 nuns and monks, 90 people in the Abbey’s service and the support of kings and popes, the Abbey developed very quickly : no less than 60 monasteries, dependant on Fontevraud, spread throughout France and Europe.
The Plantagenets
The Abbey enjoyed the protection of the Plantagenets, the kings of England. Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), queen of France and then of England, responsible for the royal necropolis of Fontevraud and the gisants (recumbent effigies).
Henri II d'Angleterre (2011) by InconnuFontevraud Royal Abbey
Henry II Plantagenet (1133-1189), king of England, father of Richard the Lionheart.
Richard Cœur de Lion (1199/1205) by InconnuFontevraud Royal Abbey
Richard the Lionheart (1157-1199), son of
Henry and Eleanor.
Visite de la Reine-Mère Elizabeth d'Angleterre à Fontevraud (1963-04-21) by InconnuFontevraud Royal Abbey
When the English royal family travels in France, they don’t miss the opportuniy to gather around these famous sovereigns of England.
Plaque de cheminée aux armes de la famille Bourbon (2012-01-18) by Patrice GiraudFontevraud Royal Abbey
Several abbesses of royal blood were at the head of Fontevraud, of which five, issue of the House of Bourbon, succeed each other, from aunt to niece.
Chimeny slab with the Bourbon coat of arms.
The Closure of the Abbey
In 1789, the French Revolution began, without consequence, at first, in the provinces. But in November 1789, the State took possession of all Church property and conducted an inventory; the Abbey’s lands were sold. In 1792, the nuns and monks were forced to abandon the abbey. In 1793, the Abbey was pillaged and the men’s monastery sold as a stone quarry.
Prison Period
1804 - 1963
The Prison of Fontevrault
In 1804, a Napoleonic decree announced the creation of a prison in the Abbey. Ten years of construction, from 1804 to 1814, were needed in order to transform the site. In 1814, the first 500 prisoners arrived: men, women, and children.
Menottes de l'époque carcérale (2012-02-29) by Patrice GiraudFontevraud Royal Abbey
In 1850, the women were transferred to the Prison of Rennes while the children were sent to Roiffé.
The Residents of the Prison
The Abbey counted 48 guards in 1850, compared to 180 in 1950...
Détenus au cloître Saint Lazare (1928/1932) by Fonds Henri ManuelFontevraud Royal Abbey
And 2700 prisoners.
The Workshops
As in all prisons, the inmates had to "better themselves" with work.
Travail des détenus (1928/1932) by Fonds Henri ManuelFontevraud Royal Abbey
The Dismantling of the Prison
The prison was closed in 1963, provoking the relocation of almost 600 prisoners. Forty or so inmates remained at Fontevraud to work on the restoration of the Abbey and the maintenance of the green areas. They finally left in 1985.
The Restoration of the Abbey
Opening the site to the public took several decades of restoration work.
Travaux du clocher entre 1969 et 1972 (1970-06-15) by Fonds Henri EnguehardFontevraud Royal Abbey
Historical Monument
The Abbey has beed classed as a national historical monument since 1840.
Arcades du cloître du Grand-Moûtier (2010-06-30) by Sylvain BonniolFontevraud Royal Abbey
Bibliothèque numérique dans la chapelle Saint Lazare (2014-05-21) by Nicolas MatheusFontevraud Royal Abbey
The principle of hospitality mentioned in the Rule of Saint Benedict is revisited.
Hospitality in the 21st Century
The old priory of St. Lazarus has been converted into a hotel and restaurant. In the past, it hosted the nuns in charge of the care of lepers, housed outside of the enclosure wall. Then, an infirmary occupied the buildings during the era of the prison.
Restaurant du cloître Saint Lazare (2015-07-08) by Nicolas MatheusFontevraud Royal Abbey
Fontevraud Le Restaurant
Chambre du Prieuré Saint-Lazare (2014-05-21) by Nicolas MatheusFontevraud Royal Abbey
Visite digitale (2012-06-02) by David MartinFontevraud Royal Abbey
Fontevraud Numérique avec des applications numériques pour faire découvrir l'Histoire aux enfants de façon ludique.
Chant dans l'église abbatiale (2008-08-15) by David DarraultFontevraud Royal Abbey
The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is also a cultural center that hosts concerts...
Festival Cité Idéale (2015-06-06) by David DarraultFontevraud Royal Abbey
... festivals...
Mezzanine du bâtiment d'accueil, ancienne caserne (2014-04-01) by David DarraultFontevraud Royal Abbey
...temporary and permanent exhibitions...
Conférence dans le haut dortoir (2015-06-26) by David DarraultFontevraud Royal Abbey
... and conferences.
L'église abbatiale (2011-09-18) by D. CouineauFontevraud Royal Abbey
Fontevraud : an Ideal City in action !
Copyright :
Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud
Semeniako
Nicolas Matheus
David Barrault
D. Couineau
Gaudin
J. Decker
Sylvain Bonniol
Christophe Bielsa
Région Pays-de-la-Loire - Inventaire général
Archives départementales Maine-et-Loire (49)
ENAP-CRHCP
