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 ...
at
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. ...
in
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 ...
.
See also
*
List of Carolingian monasteries
This is a partial list of monasteries of the Carolingian Empire, in Western Europe around the year 800.
{, class="wikitable"
! Abbey
! Location (present-day)
! Foundation date (traditional)
! Founder (traditional)
, -
, Altomünster Abbey
, Altom ...
*
Carolingian architecture
Carolingian architecture is the style of north European Pre-Romanesque architecture belonging to the period of the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and 9th centuries, when the Carolingian dynasty dominated west European politics. It was ...
*
Gwenhael
Saint Gwenhael (french: Guénaël; br, Gwenael; Old Breton: ''Gwenhael'') was a Breton saint of the 6th century, born at Ergué-Gabéric (Finistère), the second abbot of Landévennec Abbey, successor in 532 to the founder, Saint Winwaloe (Gwe ...
*
St Tudy
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