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Origin and history

The Abbey of Montauriol was founded around 820 on land given by the family of Saint Théodard, at Mons Aureolus (now Montauriol), near the present Montauban. Dedicated to Saint Martin de Tours, it became a place of pilgrimage after the death of Théodard in 893, whose miracles on his tomb led to his canonization. The abbey, renamed Saint-Théodard, became the most powerful in the Midi, surpassing even Moissac, thanks to numerous donations and the reconstruction of his Roman abbey.

In the 12th century, the abbey was involved in the conflicts between the Count of Toulouse Alphonse Jourdain and the Dukes of Aquitaine. In 1144, after the plundering of his lands by Jordan to found Montauban, Abbé Ancelin obtained from Pope Eugene III half the seigneury of the city. However, during the Albigeian Crusade (1209–129), Abbé Raymond d'Azemard supported Simon de Monfort against Raymond VI of Toulouse, resulting in him being imprisoned and dying in 1212.

In 1079, the abbey was attached to that of the Chaise-Dieu, to pay him an annual fee. His power declined in the 14th century with the creation of the diocese of Montauban in 1317: the abbey became cathedral, and Bishop Bertrand I of Puy, the last abbot of Saint-Théodard, supervised his transformation. The wars of Religion sealed its fate: the cathedral was burned in 1561 and destroyed in 1567 by Protestants, its stones used to strengthen the ramparts of Montauban.

Today, only the dovecote of the abbey remains, classified as a historical monument in 1927. Built of brick on a circular plane, it bears witness to medieval architecture with its crenelage, gargoyle and a shelter wall flanked by false scalds. Located on Rue Jeanne d'Arc in Montauban, it is the last visible vestige of this major religious heritage of Quercy.

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