The Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity of La Lucerne (), also known as La Lucerne Abbey (later also known as La Lucerne-d'Outremer, from its connection to the English crown, whence the name of the present commune) was a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

canonry Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the p ...

founded in the 12th century. It is situated in the forests of the Thar river valley in the

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

department of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

History

The abbey was founded in 1143 by Hasculf de Subligny, son of Othoerne, the tutor of

William Adelin William Ætheling (, ; 5 August 1103 – 25 November 1120), commonly called Adelin (sometimes ''Adelinus'', ''Adelingus'', ''A(u)delin'' or other Latinised Norman-French variants of '' Ætheling''), was the son of Henry I of England by his wif ...

, both of whom perished in the ''

White Ship The ''White Ship'' (; Medieval Latin: ''Candida navis'') was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur during a trip from France to Engla ...

'' disaster of 1120, and later had the support of the English crown. The new monastery was settled by Norbertine

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

from Dommartin Abbey near

Hesdin Hesdin (; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in northern France. On 1 January 2025, it was merged into the new commune of Hesdin-la-Forêt. Geography The N39, from Arras to Montreuil ...

, under the leadership of Tancred, the canonry's first

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

. It was initially located on the land donated by Hasculf known as Courbefosse. The chapel of the monastery was dedicated in 1144 by the local

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, Richard of Subligny, brother of the founder. Tancred died shortly afterward in June of that year. This location, however, proved to be too remote and damp for the community to thrive. By that time, the community had become an independent abbey. Led by its first abbot, Tescelin, the canons chose to relocate to the other end of the valley. The foundation stone of the permanent buildings at the new site was laid in 1164 by Achard of St. Victor, who was later buried here. Construction lasted from 1164 to 1178 and was in the Romanesque style, in the restrained and sober manner of

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 ...

architecture, except that the complex was dominated by an Anglo-Norman

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

tower. La Lucerne grew to become the

motherhouse A motherhouse or mother house is the principal house or community for a Catholic religious community.YourDictionaryMotherhouse/ref> One example is the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse in Kolkata, which functions as the congregation's headquart ...

of four other Premonstratensian monasteries:

Ardenne Abbey The Abbey of Our Lady of Ardenne (), commonly called Ardenne Abbey, is a former Premonstratensian abbey founded in the 12th century and located near Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe in Calvados, near Caen, France. It is now occupied by the Insti ...

Mondaye Abbey Mondaye Abbey ( or ''Abbaye Saint-Martin de Mondaye'') is a French Premonstratensian abbey in the Bessin countryside at Juaye-Mondaye, Calvados, nine miles to the south of Bayeux. Founded in 1200, it is the only Premonstratensian house still acti ...

and Belle-Étoile Abbey (at Cerisy-Belle-Étoile) in

, and

Beauport Abbey The Abbey of St. Budoc (), commonly called Beauport Abbey, was a 13th-century Premonstratensian abbey in the region of Brittany known as the Pays de Saint-Brieuc (pays historique) (the Historical Country of St. Brieuc). It was a major institutio ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. Major structural renovations were carried out in the 15th and 17th centuries. During the French Revolution, in 1792, the abbey was suppressed. Its buildings were at first turned into a cotton mill and then used as a source of stone.

Reconstruction

The ruins were classed as a ''monument historique'' in 1928. In 1959, under the aegis of Abbé Marcel Lelégard (1925-94), the enormous task was begun, which still continues under the "Fondation Abbaye de La Lucerne d'Outremer", of the restoration of the abbey. The first phase of the work was the reconstruction of the abbey church, particularly the

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics. Etymology The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...

crossing vaults and the west front with its Romanesque portal, continuing to the refectory and cellars. Work has continued since then and the

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

, the Romanesque

lavatorium A lavatorium (plural ''lavatoria''), also anglicisation, anglicised as laver and lavatory, was the communal washing area in a monastery, particularly in medieval abbeys and cathedral cloisters. Monks were required to wash before meals; thus the la ...

(the only one in Normandy), the medieval gatehouse (with its bakery and courtrooms), the

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

, the park, the 18th century abbot's lodgings and the ponds are all now restored. The chapel of Blessed Achard is in the process of restoration. One of the aims of the "Fondation Abbaye de La Lucerne d'Outremer" has been to re-establish a monastic community at La Lucerne, and the abbey is still being rebuilt with that intention.

Gallery

Image:Granit bleu.jpg, Blue granite gate to the abbey Image:La Lucerne abbey.jpg, Abbey cloister Image:France Manche abbaye lucerne entree.jpg, Abbey entrance

Notes

Sources

Website of the Abbaye de La Lucerne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucerne Abbey Premonstratensian monasteries in France Christian monasteries established in the 1140s Monuments historiques of Manche Ruins in Normandy Tourist attractions in Normandy Monasteries dissolved during the French Revolution 1790 disestablishments in France 1143 establishments in Europe