Escaladieu Abbey (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''l'Abbaye de l'Escaladieu'') was a

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 ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

located in the

'' commune'' of

Bonnemazon Bonnemazon (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or c ...

in the

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...

. Its name derives from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''Scala Dei'' ("ladder of God"). The abbey was founded in 1142 and became an important

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

stop on the Way of St. James en route to the

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela The Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica (Spanish language, Spanish and Galician language, Galician: ) is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and is an inte ...

. The abbey is situated at the confluence of the Luz and the Arros rivers near the

Château de Mauvezin The Château de Mauvezin (also known as Château de Gaston Phoebus) is a restored castle in the '' commune'' of Mauvezin in the Hautes-Pyrénées ''département'' of France. History The site, occupied since protohistory, was transformed into a '' ...

. In the middle of the 12th century, a group of monks under the protection of the count of

Bigorre Bigorre (; Gascon: ''Bigòrra'') is a region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a French province, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of the larger region k ...

who lived at Cabadur in the Gripp valley in the modern-day commune of

Campan Campan (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of south-western France. Geography Campan stands in a valley of the same name at the confluence of the rivers Adour and Adour de Payolle. It is situated on ...

, near

Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre (, literally ''Bagnères of Bigorre''; ) is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, Department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occita ...

, wanted to move to a more hospitable location and therefore establish the abbey at Bonnemazon. The abbey became the center of the expansion of southern French Cistercian expansion and founded eight abbeys in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(including ones in

Fitero Fitero is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. The Monastery of Fitero The Monastery of Fitero ( or ''Monasterio de Santa María de Nienzebas'') is a Cistercian monastery locat ...

, Sacraménia, and Véruéla) and two in

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

(

Flaran Abbey Flaran Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located near Valence-sur-Baïse, in the ''département'' of Gers, France. The abbey was founded in 1151, as a daughter house of Escaladieu Abbey, at the confluence of the Auloue and Baïse rivers, bet ...

and Bouillas Abbey). The abbey was continuously inhabited by Cistercian monks until 1830 when it sold to an unknown local family. In 1986, the abbey was purchased by the Conseil Général des Hautes-Pyrénées which undertook its restoration. The abbey was passed by, and therefore featured in the television coverage of, the 19th stage of the

Tour de France 2018 The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and concluding on 29 July with the C ...

References

*
Information about Escaladieu Abbey from the official website of the Conseil Général des Hautes-Pyrénées

External links

*
Official site
*

Cistercian monasteries in France 1142 establishments in Europe 1140s establishments in France Buildings and structures in Hautes-Pyrénées Christian monasteries established in the 1140s Tourist attractions in Hautes-Pyrénées {{France-church-stub