Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey () is a former

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 in northern France (

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

), situated in

Cernay-la-Ville Cernay-la-Ville () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Geography Location Cernay-la-Ville is located between Rambouillet a ...

, in the

Diocese of Versailles The Diocese of Versailles (Latin: ''Dioecesis Versaliensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Versailles'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church, in France. The diocese, headed by the Bishop of Versailles, was established in 1801. Until then, its ter ...

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.French Revolution and fell into partial ruin. Most of the buildings, except for the church, were restored in the late 19th century by

Charlotte de Rothschild Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild (6 May 1825 – 20 July 1899) was a French socialite, painter, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France. Early years She was born in Paris, the daughter of Betty von Rothschild and Ja ...

, and the property is now a hotel.

Abbey

The abbey was founded in 1118 when Simon de Neauffle and his wife Eve donated land to the monks of

Savigny Abbey Savigny Abbey (''Abbaye de Savigny'') was a monastery near the village of Savigny-le-Vieux (Manche), in northern France. It was founded early in the 12th century. Initially it was the central house of the Congregation of Savigny, who were Benedi ...

to endow a monastery in honour of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. Vital, Abbot of Savigny accepted their gift and sent a group of monks under the direction of Arnaud, who became their first abbot. Besides the founders, others of the nobility came to the aid of the new Savigniac community. As soon as the abbey was well established, many postulants were admitted, thus making possible in 1137 the foundation of

Le Breuil-Benoît Abbey Le Breuil-Benoît Abbey (, ) is a former Cistercian abbey in Marcilly-sur-Eure in the Eure department of Normandy, France. It is located around 10 km to the west of Dreux, on the left bank of the river Eure (river), Eure. History The abbey ...

in the

Diocese of Évreux In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. In 1148 Vaux-de-Cernay, together with the entire Congregation of Savigny, entered the Order of Cîteaux and became an affiliation of

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 ...

. From this time on they prospered, building a church in the simple Cistercian style. The tomb of Simon and his wife was placed in front of the altar of the abbey church, on the left. Over time, additional buildings were constructed, as well as a mill and a fish farm. Many of its abbots became well known. Andrew, the fourth, died as

Bishop of Arras The Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal s ...

Guy of Vaux-de-Cernay Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unin ...

, the sixth, was delegated by the General Chapter to accompany the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

in 1203. Three years later he was one of the principal figures in the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...

, which fought against the

Cathars Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

. In recognition of his service he was made

Bishop of Carcassonne The Diocese of Carcassonne and Narbonne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Carcassonensis et Narbonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Carcassonne et Narbonne'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese co ...

(1211) and is commemorated in the ''Cistercian Menology''. His nephew

Peter of Vaux-de-Cernay Peter of Vaux de Cernay (died c.1218) was a Cistercian monk of Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey, in what is now Yvelines, northern France, and a chronicler of the Albigensian Crusade. His ''Historia Albigensis'' is one of the primary sources for the events of ...

, also a monk of the abbey, accompanied him on this crusade, and left a chronicle of the Cathars and the war against them. 78-Vaux-de-Cernay-fontaine-St-Thibaut

Under Thomas, Peter's successor, Porrois Abbey, a Cistercian nunnery later renamed the

Abbey of Port-Royal Port-Royal-des-Champs () was an abbey of Cistercian nuns in Magny-les-Hameaux, in the Vallée de Chevreuse southwest of Paris that launched a number of culturally important institutions. History The abbey was established in 1204, but became ...

, was founded and placed under the direction of the abbots of Vaux-de-Cernay. The ninth abbot, Theobald of Marly (1235–47), a descendant of the Montmorency family, was canonized in 1297. During his time as abbot, in 1240, King

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

(Saint Louis) visited the abbey on pilgrimage with his queen,

Margaret of Provence Margaret of Provence (; 1221 – 20 December 1295) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis IX of France, King Louis IX. Early life Margaret was born in the spring of 1221 in Forcalquier. She was the eldest of four daughters of Ramon Berenguer ...

, who had been unable to have children; the couple's eleven subsequent children were attributed to the water from the spring-fed well serving the abbey, which consequently became a place of pilgrimage. Towards the end of the fourteenth century the monastery began losing its fervour, both on account of its wealth and because of the disturbed state of the Île-de-France during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. After the introduction of

commendatory abbot A commendatory abbot () is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey ''in commendam'', drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline. If a commendatory abbot is an ecclesiastic, however, ...

s in 1542 there was little left of the monastic community beyond the name. In the seventeenth century the community was restored in spirit by embracing the Reform of the Strict Observance as promoted by Denis Largentier. During this time the commendatory abbot was John Casimir, King of Poland. The monastery was suppressed in 1791 during the French Revolution and its members (twelve priests) were dispersed. Much of the site subsequently fell into ruin.Cavanagh, Alice
"The splendid reinvention of Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay"
HTSI. ''Financial Times''. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.

Recent history

After passing through various hands, in the 1880s the abbey site was bought by

, who stabilized the ruins of the church and commissioned the Rothschild family architect Félix Langlais to restore the 17th-century abbey building with interiors emulating the chapterhouse, which had remained intact. She used it for a summer home, with stables for her

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s on the grounds. Her grandson Baron

Henri de Rothschild Henri James Nathaniel Charles, Baron de Rothschild (26 July 1872 – 12 October 1947) was a French playwright who wrote under the pen names André Pascal, Charles des Fontaines, and P.-L. Naveau. He was also qualified as a physician (although h ...

inherited the property in 1903 and further updated the residence; he it was the site of his experiments in child nutrition."Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay , Chevreuse Valley, France"
Rothschild Family. Retrieved 9 March 2024. In November 1942, the property of Henri de Rothschild and his son was expropriated under the anti-semitic laws of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

. Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey was sold at auction to the industrialist

Félix Amiot Félix Amiot (October 17, 1894 – December 21, 1974) was a French industrialist and aircraft constructor based in Colombes, France. Some of the aircraft models he designed served in the French Air Force during the Second World War. His second in ...

, who moved his private offices there.. The estate was also used as an agricultural centre. Amiot's heirs sold the property in 1988 and it became a hotel, with a capacity of 1,200 and a

heliport A heliport is a small airport which has a helipad, suitable for use by helicopters, powered lift, and various types of vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also hav ...

, but still drawing its water from the original spring."Abbaye des Vaulx de Cernay" Hotel
archived fro

on 4 October 2008. It was classified as a

historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

in 1926 and fully protected in January 1994. The abbey mill, which appears in 19th-century landscape paintings, was sold in 2012 and in 2016 opened as a regional museum. In the early 2020s, the abbey was acquired by the hospitality company Paris Society and extensively renovated into a luxury hotel with interiors by Cordélia de Castellane.Viguié-Desplaces, Philippe
"Dans les Yvelines, l'Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay au septième ciel"
''Le Figaro Magazine''. 20 October 2023. Updated 5 January 2024. . VaulxDeCernay

References

Sources

*''

Gallia Christiana The ''Gallia Christiana'', a type of work of which there have been several editions, is a documentary catalogue or list, with brief historical notices, of all the Catholic dioceses and abbeys of France from the earliest times, also of their occupa ...

'', VII * Caspar Jongelinus, ''Notitia Abbatiarum, O. Cisterciensis'' (Cologne, 1640) * Bertrand Tissier, ''Bibliotheca Patrum Cisterciensium'', VII (Paris, 1669) *Merlet and Moutier, ''Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de N. D. des Vaux-de-Cernay'', I-III (Paris, 1857–58) *Morize, ''Étude archéologique sur l'Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay'' with introduction by de Dion (Tours, 1889) *De Dion, ''Cartulaire de Porrois plus connue sous le nom mystique de Port-Royal'' (Paris, 1903) * Charles Beaunier, ''Recueil historique des archévechés, évechés, abbayes et prieurés de France, province ecclesiastique de Paris'' (Paris, 1905) * Angel Manrique, ''Annales Cistercienses'' (Lyons, 1642–59) *

Edmond Martène Edmond Martène (22 December 1654 – 20 June 1739) was a French Benedictine historian and liturgist. Life Martène was born at Saint-Jean-de-Losne near Dijon. In 1672 he entered the Benedictine Abbey of St-Rémy at Reims, a house of the Congre ...

and Ursin Durand, ''Veterum Scriptorum et Monumentorum amplissima collectio'', II (Paris, 1724) * Petrus Sarniensis, ''Historia Albigensium'' (Troyes, 1615) *

Leopold Janauschek Leopold Janauschek (13 October 1827 – 23 July 1898) was an Austrian Cistercian historian. Life Janauschek was born at Brünn, Moravia. In 1846 he received the religious habit at the Cistercian Zwettl Abbey, Lower Austria, where he was prof ...

, ''Originum Cisterciensium'', I (Vienna, 1877) *

External links

*
Official website

Vaux de Cernay abbey
at All Free Photos {{Authority control 1118 establishments in Europe 1110s establishments in France Cistercian monasteries in France Christian monasteries established in the 1110s Hotels in France Rothschild family residences

Abbey

Recent history

See also

References

Sources

External links