Ardorel Abbey, formally the Abbey of Our Lady of Ardorel (; ), was 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 ...

then

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 located in the modern-day commune of

Payrin-Augmontel Payrin-Augmontel (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. Geography The Espinat forms most of the commune's eastern border, then flows into the Thoré, which forms the commune's southern border. Population See also *Comm ...

, Tarn, southwestern France. It was destroyed during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

History

The abbey was founded in the late 11th-century and followed the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

. The establishment was mentioned in 1114. The name ''Ardorel'' possibly meant "ploughed land". In 1124, under the influence of

Bernard Ato IV Bernard Ato IV (died 1129) was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1074 to his death. Bernard Ato was the son of Raymond Bernard of Nîmes (died 1074) and Ermengarde of Carcassonne. In 1096, Bernard joined the army of Raymond o ...

's wife Cecil of Provence, monks from

Cadouin Abbey Cadouin Abbey ( or ''Abbaye Notre-Dame de la Nativité de Cadouin'') was a Cistercian monastery founded as a hermitage in 1115 by Gerald of Salles, in the name of Robert of Arbrissel, in what is now the commune of Le Buisson-de-Cadouin in the D ...

founded a Cistercian monastery at Ardorel under the supervision of abbot Élie. Little is known about the Benedictines who settled there before the Cistercians. Oddly, Ardorel was listed as a daughter of

Pontigny Pontigny () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. Sight Its principal distinction is as the home of Pontigny Abbey. Communication channels The commune is crossed in a north-south direction ...

very late, in 1147. Cecil of Provence made numerous donations to the abbey, and wished to be buried there. After Élie went back to Cadouin, the first abbot of Ardorel was Foulque. Cecil's donations to the abbey were made either directly or indirectly through her vassals, the lords of Vintrou, Hautpoul and Miraval. The abbey was so well-known that even some

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 ...

like Jordan of Saissac, the son of Bertrand of Saissac, made donations to the abbey in 1283. Very soon, the prospering abbey founded two daughter houses:

Valmagne Abbey Valmagne Abbey () is a former Benedictine monastery located near Villeveyrac, Hérault, in south-central France. It is a designated historic monument (monument historique). Valmagne Abbey was founded as a Benedictine abbey in 1138 but only twen ...

in 1138 –which thrived on its turn with up to 300 monks– and Sira in 1139. Moreover, Jau Abbey became a daughter house of Ardorel in 1162, even though it was founded earlier. In the 14th century, the reputation and the prosperity of Ardorel started declining, especially when the commendatory regime was set up. In 1586, during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

, a relative of the abbot of Ardorel who secretly converted to

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

slipped inside the monastery and opened the doors for spadassins to slaughter the monks and throw their corpses into a well. A few survivors, who had left the monastery earlier, resumed monastic life in a

grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * The Grange (Toronto), Toronto, Ontario, built in 1817 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to ...

Lempaut Lempaut is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. In Lempaut is the 17th century Château de Padiès, a listed monument since 1928. See also * Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list of the 314 communes of t ...

owned by Ardorel. The once prosperous abbey is now ruined. According to Janauschek, Ardorel Abbey had the Order number CCLXXIV (274).

List of abbots

The abbots of Ardorel listed by Dom Claude de Vic and Dom Joseph Vaissette in ''Histoire générale du Languedoc''.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control Former Christian monasteries in France Cistercian monasteries in France 12th-century establishments in France 12th-century religious buildings and structures Buildings and structures in Tarn (department) Destroyed Christian monasteries French Wars of Religion