Initial construction XIIe–XVe siècles (≈ 1550)
Romanesque and Gothic Prioral Church.
XVIIe siècle
Addition of infirmary
Addition of infirmary XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
Building adjacent to the church.
3e quart XVIIIe siècle
Barn and press construction
Barn and press construction 3e quart XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1862)
Agricultural extensions of the priory.
1960
Blowbell destruction
Blowbell destruction 1960 (≈ 1960)
The slate bell has been dropped.
21 novembre 1989
Partial MH registration
Partial MH registration 21 novembre 1989 (≈ 1989)
Cemetery, infirmary, barn and press.
22 novembre 1990
Church ranking
Church ranking 22 novembre 1990 (≈ 1990)
Total protection of the prioral church.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Cemetery with its enclosure and the cross it houses; façades and roofs of the old 17th century infirmary contiguous to the church; facades and roofs of the 18th century barn and the adjoining press (Box C 34, 35): inscription by decree of 21 November 1989; Priorial Church (Box C 33): Order of 22 November 1990
Key figures
Chanoines prémontrés - Religious occupants
Used the priory as a place.
Abbaye de Silly-en-Gouffern - Mother house of the priory
Direct monastic dependence.
Origin and history
The Priory of Notre-Dame-du-Repos, located in the hamlet of Repos in Médavy (Orne), was a monastery dependent on the Abbey of Silly-en-Gouffern. Founded between the 12th and 15th centuries, it served as a resting place for pre-demonstrated canons. The Romanesque and Gothic-style prioral church preserves carved modillons, a flat buttress, and traces of 13th-century wall paintings. The slate bellet, shot down in 1960, once overcame the nave.
Disused, the priory also includes a 17th-century infirmary, a barn and an 18th-century press (perhaps redesigned in the 19th century). These elements, as well as the cemetery with its cross, have been listed as historical monuments since 1989. The Prioral Church has been classified since 1990. The site, now a mixed property (private and communal), bears witness to Norman religious architecture throughout the centuries.
The priory illustrates the evolution of monastic and architectural practices, from the Romanesque and Gothic periods to classical additions. Gothic breakthroughs in the church and adjacent agricultural buildings reflect the functional adaptations of the site. The 13th century murals, though fragmentary, offer a rare example of medieval decoration in Normandy. The decommissioning of the monastery, followed by its protection in the 20th century, underlines its heritage importance despite its transformation.
Located in the department of Orne, Normandy, the priory is part of a landscape marked by religious and rural history. The commune of Médavy, incorporated in 1822, retains this vestige as a witness to the exchanges between the abbeys and the local communities. The press, in limestone bellows, evokes the agricultural activities related to the monastery, while the enclosure of the cemetery recalls its spiritual and social role.
The available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum, Mérimée base) confirm its status as a historical monument and its precise location: 58 A L'Egliserie, 61570 Médavy. Insee code (61256) and Alençon district place the priory in the administrative context of Lower Normandy, now merged in the Normandy region.
