Cassan Priory (, also ''Abbaye de Cassan''; ) is an 18th-century building in France, classed as a historical monument. It is located in
Roujan commune,
Hérault
Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...
département,
Occitanie.
History
The Augustinian priory was founded in 1080, on land donated by the noble Alquier family of
Béziers
Béziers (; ) is a city in southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. Every August Béziers ho ...
A new church was consecrated on 6 October 1115. The second prior was
Saint Guiraud (d. 1123).
Numerous relics were collected by the priory and it served as a burial ground to the nobility of the region. The lands owned by the priory extended to 75 villages.
[Serge Sotos, ''Le Prieuré Sainte-Marie de Cassan - fondation et origines, Saint-Guiraud, coutumes et cartulaire factice XI - XIII'', Montpellier, 1990.]
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
in the context of the crusade against the
Cathars exempted the priory from control by the bishops of Béziers, making it subject only to the Holy See in spiritual matters. In secular terms, the monastery pledged allegiance to
Louis IX of France
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 VI ...
in 1268.
In the 14th century the priory began to decline, as a result of the
Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
and the turmoils of 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 ...
, and the number of canons halved, from 80 in the 13th century to 40 by 1384. The monastery was pillaged during the
wars of religion, in 1539, and again in 1563.
[Alfred Crouzat, ''Histoire de la ville de Roujan et du prieuré de Cassan, suivie d'une notice sur les diverses communes du canton'', British Library, Historical Print Editions, 2012, from original publ. Béziers 1859]
By 1605, the monastic community was moribund, reduced to seven or eight canons. In 1671, it was attached to the
Abbey of St Genevieve in Paris. The medieval buildings were torn down and the premises were rebuilt from scratch in the mid-18th century under the
commendatory prior Pas de Beaulieu, except for the church building, which was modified but retains its 12th-century
Romanesque core structure. After the
French Revolution, the monastery was dissolved and the property nationalised. In 1791 it was sold to an advocate, Marc Antoine Thomas Mérigeaux, who bought it on behalf of the
Prince de Conti who offered it to his mistress, Madame de Brimont. From this point, the former monastery became known as the Château de Cassan (Cassan Castle).
It changed hands several times during the 19th and 20th centuries, eventually passing to the French state, housing administrative offices, but in 1995 was sold again to a private party, and in 2002 to a real estate holding company.
The priory church and the western wing of the castle were classed as a
national historical monument in 1953.
[ Ancien prieuré dit " château " de Cassan]
Other parts of the estate were so classed in 1998.
References
External links
Chateau-Cassan.com
{{Authority control
Augustinian monasteries in France
Monuments historiques of Hérault
Churches in Hérault
Châteaux in Hérault