Sablonceaux Abbey (french: Abbaye de Sablonceaux) is a former

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: * Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sai ...

monastery located in

Sablonceaux Sablonceaux () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. Population See also * Communes of the Charente-Maritime department The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of ...

in the

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of south-western France. It is now occupied by members of the

Chemin Neuf Community The Chemin Neuf Community (french: Communauté du Chemin Neuf) is a Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation. Formed from a charismatic prayer group in 1973, it has 2,000 permanent members in 30 countries, and 12,000 people serving in the co ...

History

Creation

The abbey was established in 1136 by

William X, Duke of Aquitaine William X (Occitan language, Occitan: ''Guillém X''; 1099 – 9 April 1137), called the Saint, was Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, and Count of Poitou (as William VIII) from 1126 to 1137. Early life William was the son of William IX, Duk ...

, who initially supported

antipope An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid- ...

Anacletus II Anacletus II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. After the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of cardinals was divided over his succe ...

against

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

during the

papal schism of 1130 The 1130 papal election (held February 14) was convoked after the death of Pope Honorius II and resulted in a double election. Part of the cardinals, led by Cardinal-Chancellor Aymeric de la Chatre, elected Gregorio Papareschi as Pope Innocent ...

, but changed his mind after the intervention of

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through t ...

, and tried to demonstrate his good faith by offering to the Church two valuable monastic foundations, Fontenay-le-Comte Abbey in

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

, and Sablonceaux Abbey. Construction began before 1160, and the abbey was already powerful by the late 12th century, strengthened by the constant support of the

archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

. The original church was Romanesque and containing a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

with three

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fr ...

Late Middle Ages and Renaissance

During the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...

, the abbey was threatened with destruction. The bell tower was damaged, and rebuilt in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, as it is still to be seen today. During the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

, there were further battles around the abbey, which supported the Catholic side. From this time onwards the moral standards of the community began to decline, and the behaviour of the monks eventually became scandalous. In 1633, the abbey came under the control of

Chancelade Abbey Chancelade Abbey (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Chancelade) is an Augustinian monastery in Chancelade in the Dordogne. It was founded in 1129. The abbey was damaged by English troops in the 14th century during the Hundred Years' War and again b ...

Commendatory abbot A commendatory abbot ( la, abbas commendatarius) 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 i ...

s took over at this time, the first of whom,

Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis, 20 February 1593 to 18 June 1645, was a French naval commander and Archbishop of Bordeaux. Like many churchmen of his day, de Sourdis was a military man as well as a prelate. He fought in the Thirty Years' War an ...

, went to great lengths to reverse the moral and spiritual decline of the community.

Dissolution

During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the abbey was sold off as a "national asset" (''bien national'') and the limestone buildings were quarried. Two of the church's cupolas were destroyed. In the 19th century, the abbey again became a place of prayer, but the

bishop of La Rochelle The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes ( la, Dioecesis Rupellensis et Santonensis; french: Diocèse de La Rochelle et Saintes) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département ...

closed it down because of the dangerous state of the buildings. It was afterwards sold repeatedly, and fell increasingly into ruin. In 1907, the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry ...

tried to protect the church at least by giving it the status of '' monument historique''. The decay of the other buildings continued, however. They became an orphanage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and finally a

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

Restoration

In 1962

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' ( Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed by P ...

, Minister of Culture, ordered the restoration of the sanctuary, which took twenty years. In 1986, the

diocese of La Rochelle The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes ( la, Dioecesis Rupellensis et Santonensis; french: Diocèse de La Rochelle et Saintes) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département ...

decided to buy the abbey, in order to make of it a spiritual centre, a house of spiritual retreat (and hospitality to tourists), and also an artistic establishment. It gave this triple mission to the

References

External links

Abbey website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sablonceaux Abbey Augustinian monasteries in France 1136 establishments in Europe 1130s establishments in France Buildings and structures in Charente-Maritime Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Chemin Neuf Community