Savigny Abbey
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Savigny Abbey (''Abbaye de Savigny'') was a monastery near the village of
Savigny-le-Vieux Savigny-le-Vieux () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. See also *Savigny Abbey *Communes of the Manche department The following is a list of the 445 communes of the Manche department of France. 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 ...
), in northern France. It was founded early in the 12th century. Initially it was the central house of the
Congregation of Savigny The monastic Congregation of Savigny (Savigniac Order) started in the abbey of Savigny, situated in northern France, on the confines of Normandy and Brittany, in the Diocese of Coutances. It originated in 1105 when Vitalis of Mortain established ...
, who were
Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...
; by 1150 it was
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 ...
.


History

It was situated on the confines 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 ...
and
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 ...
. The founder was
Vitalis de Mortain Vitalis of Savigny ( – 16 September 1122) was the canonized founder of Savigny Abbey in Manche and of the Congregation of Savigny (1112). Biography Early life and work as chaplain He was born in Normandy at Tierceville near Bayeux about 1060 ...
, Canon of the Collegiate Church of St. Evroul, who, resigning his prebend to embrace an eremitical life under
Robert of Arbrissel Robert of Arbrissel ( 1045 – 1116) was an itinerant preacher, and founder of Fontevraud Abbey. He was born at Arbrissel (near Retiers, Brittany) and died at Orsan Priory in the present department of Cher. Sources Robert's life is primarily ...
in the forest of Craon (Anjou), and leaving the latter, retired to the forest of Savigny (1105), where he built a hermitage. Soon, however, the number of disciples who gathered around him necessitated the construction of adequate buildings, in which was instituted the monastic life, following the
Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, 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 ...
, and interpreted in a manner similar to the Cistercians.Obrecht, Edmond. "Abbey of Savigny." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 31 Jan. 2015
/ref> Around 1115, Rudolph, lord of Fougeres, confirmed the grants he had formerly made to Vital, and monastery of Our Lady of Savigny was established.'' The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' 2nd ed., (E. A. Livingstone, ed.) OUP, 2006
The abbey was home to as many as 120 monks. Aimo of Landecob was a noted member.Merton, Thomas. ''In the Valley of Wormwood: Cistercian Blessed and Saints of the Golden Age'', Liturgical Press, 2013, p. 153
It was the mother of the Benedictine reform in Normandy and within thirty years it had 33 subordinate houses, including
Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in northern France (Île-de-France), situated in Cernay-la-Ville, in the Diocese of Versailles, Yvelines. The abbey was abandoned during the French Revolution and fell into partial ruin. M ...
. In 1119
Pope Celestine II Pope Celestine II (; died 8 March 1144), born Guido di Castello,Thomas, pg. 91 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 26 September 1143 to his death on 8 March 1144. Early life Guido di Castello, possibly the son of ...
, then in
Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...
, took it under his immediate protection, and strongly commended it to the neighbouring nobles.
Robert fitz Martin Robert fitz Martin ( 10?? – c. 1159) was a knight from Devon whose father, Martin de Turribus, was the first Norman Lord of Kemes, in what had previously been the Dyfed part of Deheubarth. Fitz Martin inherited the Lordship of Kemes from his ...
and his wife, Maud, granted to Savigny Abbey land at
Vengeons Vengeons () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune of Sourdeval.Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...
established and generously endowed 29 monasteries of this Congregation in his dominions.
Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...
also held them in high esteem, and it was at his request that their monks, in the times of the antipope Anacletus, declared in favour of
Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent 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 first eight years o ...
. Serlon, third successor of the Founder, found it difficult to retain his jurisdiction over the English monasteries, who wished to make themselves independent, and so determined to affiliate the entire Congregation to Citeaux, which was effected at the General Chapter of 1147. Little by little discipline became relaxed, and once
commendatory abbots A commendatory abbot () 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 is an ecclesiastic, however, ...
were introduced (1501) it never regained its first greatness. In 1509 it was pillaged and partly burned by the
Calvinists 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, Presbyterian, ...
, and records of the following year mention but twenty-four monks remaining. It continued to exist until the Revolution reduced it to a heap of ruins. In 1791 it was purchased for a quarry and much of the stone sold off. In 1838, archaeologist
Arcisse de Caumont Arcisse de Caumont (20 August 1801, Bayeux – 16 April 1873, Caen) was a French historian and archaeologist. Biography Arcisse Caumont was born at Bayeux to François de Caumont and Marie-Louise de Mathan Hue. One of his mentors was Charles de ...
purchased the Romanesque gate in order to preserve it."Savigny-le-Vieux Abbey", Office de Tourisme, Mont Saint-Michel
/ref> The church, a model of Cistercian architecture, was restored in 1869. The abbey was listed as a ''
Monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
'' by the French Ministry of Culture in 1924, Ancienne abbaye and now serves for parish purposes.


Burials

*
Isabelle de Meulan Isabelle de Meulan, Dame de Mayenne, Dame de Craon (c. 1148 – 10 May 1220) was a French noblewoman, being the daughter of Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester, Count of Meulan. Isabelle married twice; firstly to Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayen ...
(†1220) benefactress * Robert Stitchill (†1274) (though his heart was buried at
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
)Piper "Stichill, Robert of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''


See also

*
Congregation of Savigny The monastic Congregation of Savigny (Savigniac Order) started in the abbey of Savigny, situated in northern France, on the confines of Normandy and Brittany, in the Diocese of Coutances. It originated in 1105 when Vitalis of Mortain established ...


References


Sources

* Tissier, ''Bibliotheca patrum cisterciensum'' (Bonnefont, 1660–69); {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Manche Christian monasteries established in the 1100s Cistercian monasteries in France Ruins in Normandy Tourist attractions in Manche History of Manche 12th-century establishments in France