Landévennec Abbey (french: Abbaye de Landévennec, Abbaye Saint-Guénolé de Landévennec) is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Landévennec Landévennec (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Geography Landévennec is located on the Crozon peninsula, southeast of Brest.The river Aulne forms a natural boundary to the east. ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, in the department of

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

, France. The present monastery is a modern foundation at the site of an early mediaeval monastery, of which only ruins survive.

First foundation

The abbey is traditionally held to have been founded around 490 by Saint

Winwaloe Saint Winwaloe ( br, Gwenole; french: Guénolé; la, Winwallus or ; – 3 March 532) was the founder and first abbot of Landévennec Abbey (literally " Lann of Venec"), also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest in Bri ...

(french: Guénolé). It became a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

house in the eighth century. It was attacked and burned by

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

in 913 and was subsequently rebuilt in stone. The abbey was suppressed in 1793 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and the goods and premises were sold off.

Second foundation

In 1950 the site was bought by the Benedictine community of Kerbénéat,Paul Burns, ''Butler's Lives of the Saints'', March (2000), p. 24. who built new premises. The community formed part of the Subiaco Congregation, since 2013 the

Subiaco Cassinese Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Piet ...

Notes and references

Sources

Website of Landévennec Abbey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landevennec Abbey Benedictine monasteries in France Carolingian architecture Buildings and structures in Finistère Ruins in Brittany Tourist attractions in Finistère Monuments historiques of Finistère

First foundation

Second foundation

See also

Notes and references

Sources