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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame d'Etival-en-Charnie Abbey was founded in 1109 by Raoul VII de Beaumont, Viscount of Beaumont, and the hermit Saint Alleaume, disciple of Robert d'Arbrissel. Located in the forest of Charnie, it was built with local stones (calcareous and red sandstone), giving it a dark shade. The bishop of Mans, Hildebert de Lavardin, established the Benedictine rule, inspired by the Abbey of the Pre. The abbey became a place of power, with 31 abbesses from noble families in Maine, such as the Beaumont, Laval or Brienne, until its closure in 1790.

The abbey, rebuilt after a fire in 1511, extended over 1,200 hectares and housed ponds, forges and a mill. It was a cultural home (translations, religious works) and a refuge during the Inquisition and Revolution. In 1789 his 20 nuns were expelled, and the abbey, sold for 30,000 pounds (against an estimated 400,000 pounds), served as a stone quarry. Today, only the northern crusillon of the transept remains, transformed into a chapel, with Romanesque and Gothic elements.

Excavations in 1901-1902 revealed the complete plan of the abbey, including the church, the cloister and the convent buildings. The chapel, restored in 1901 under the direction of Robert Triger, was restored to worship. Several of the vicomtes of Beaumont, discovered in 1848, are preserved in the Musée du Mans. The abbey was also the scene of a drama in 1944, when resistance fighters were shot near his pond by the Germans.

Etival-en-Charnie, formerly an independent parish, was attached to Chemiré-en-Charnie in 1809. In the 19th century, the village was known for its geese breeding, exported to England. The chapel, classified as a historical monument in 1973, now houses remarkable elements such as a mural of an abbess, a 15th century tombstone and a altarpiece of 1780.

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