Saint-Amand Abbey (''Abbaye de Saint-Amand''), once known as Elno, Elnon or Elnone Abbey, is a former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

abbey in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux,

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televis ...

, France.

History

The abbey was founded around 633-639 in what was once a great tract of uninhabited land in the Vicoigne Forest between the Scarpe and the brook called the , from which the monastery took its first name, Elnon or Elnone Abbey. The founder was Saint

Amand of Maastricht Amandus ( 584 – 679), commonly called Saint Amand, was a bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht and one of the great Christian missionaries of Flanders. He is venerated as a saint, particularly in France and Belgium. Life The chief source of details ...

, under the patronage of

Dagobert I Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dy ...

. The name of the saint eventually became applied both to the abbey and the village that grew up round it. The abbot from about 652 was

Jonatus Jonatus or Jonath (died ) was a Christian monk. He was a monk at the monastery of Elnone under Abbot Amandus. He served as the first abbot of the monastery of Marchiennes from 641, according to the ''Annals of Marchiennes''.. This monastery had ...

., s.v. "Jonatus". Apart from its considerable effect on the landscape, the abbey became a major centre of study during the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the Christian Roman Empire of t ...

. Notable members of the community included the 9th-century writer Milo of Saint-Amand, author of a metrical dictionary of Latin long and short syllables as well as a ''Life of Saint Amand'', and his nephew,

Hucbald of Saint-Amand Hucbald ( – 20 June 930; also Hucbaldus or Hubaldus) was a Benedictine monk active as a music theorist, poet, composer, teacher, and hagiographer. He was long associated with Saint-Amand Abbey, so is often known as Hucbald of St Amand. Deep ...

, a noted music theorist and composer. The abbey was totally destroyed by the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. T ...

at the end of the 9th century. Although rebuilt, it was frequently destroyed by fire and the incidents of war, and was not completely restored until the 17th century, to an ambitious and much-admired plan implemented by Abbot Nicolas du Bois. In 1616-1617

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

painted a new high altarpiece for the monastery church, the '' Saint Stephen Triptych''. Saint-Amand-les-Eaux - Tour de l'Abbaye (02)

In 1672,

Dom Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon, O.S.B., (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabi ...

discovered that, at the end of a manuscript of works of

Gregory Nazianzen Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...

, there is a praise poem of the late 9th century in

Old German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

, the ''

Ludwigslied The ''Ludwigslied'' (in English, ''Lay'' or ''Song of Ludwig'') is an Old High German (OHG) poem of 59 rhyming couplets, celebrating the victory of the Frankish army, led by Louis III of France, over Danish (Viking) raiders at the Battle of Sa ...

'', which commemorates the victory of the Frankish army of Louis III over the Vikings on 3 August 881 at the

Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu The Battle of Saucourt was part of the Viking invasions of West Francia and occurred between forces of Vikings and the troops of Kings of West Francia, Louis III of France and his brother Carloman II, on 3 August 881 at Saucourt-en-Vimeu. Ba ...

. The same manuscript, now held at the municipal library of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, was found to contain one of the earliest literary texts in vernacular French, the poem called ''

Sequence of Saint Eulalia The ''Sequence of Saint Eulalia'', also known as the ''Canticle of Saint Eulalia'' (french: Séquence/Cantilène de sainte Eulalie) is the earliest surviving piece of French hagiography and one of the earliest extant texts in the vernacular langu ...

''. The '' Annales sancti Amandi'', a set of annals of the Frankish kingdom, also originate from Saint-Amand. The abbey was declared national property in 1789, and mostly demolished between 1797 and 1820. The former courthouse (''échevinage'') and the exuberantly decorated church tower, which now accommodates a

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...

museum, survive and can still be visited. PM 140198 F Saint Amand les Eaux.jpg PM 140200 F Saint Amand les Eaux.jpg PM 140202 F Saint Amand les Eaux.jpg PM 140204 F Saint Amand les Eaux.jpg

Notes

Sources and external links

Nordmag.fr: Saint-Amand

Saint-Amand-les-Eaux municipal website: Tour abbatiale
(with pictures) {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Nord (French department) Benedictine monasteries in France 630s establishments 7th-century establishments in Francia 1789 disestablishments in France Tourist attractions in Nord (French department) Museums in Nord (French department) Ceramics museums in France Burial sites of the House of Egmond