Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Asnière Abbey, located in Cizay-la-Madeleine in the department of Maine-et-Loire, was founded in 1129 by Bernard de Tiron, a companion of Robert d'Arbrissel. Originally a Benedictine priory established around 1114 on a site conceded by Giraud II Berlai, seigneur of Montreuil-Bellay, it became a prosperous abbey thanks to the latter's donations, notably for the construction of a church in an angeline Gothic style (or Plantagenet). In 1137 Giraud II compensated the monks of Saint-Nicolas d'Angers, who claimed rights on the site, thereby consolidating its development.

In the Middle Ages, the abbey experienced a gradual decline, accentuated by the wars of Religion (1562-1569). In 1569 it was looted by the Huguenots: 30 monks were massacred, and a large part of the buildings (clocher, cloister, refectory, dormitory) were destroyed by fire. Partially restored in 1635 under Abbé Verdier, it had only 6 monks in 1650, then only 2 in 1746, when it was attached to the Jesuit College of La Flèche. The French Revolution marked a turning point: sold as a national good in 1790, it was partly dismantled in the 19th century.

In the 19th century, the ruins were acquired and partially rehabilitated, notably by M. Chappée and M. de la Brière in 1901, who undertook excavations. Ranked a historic monument in 1909, the abbey changed hands several times: given to the department of Maine-et-Loire in 1950, put on sale in 2012, then bought in 2014 by Alain Suguenot, while remaining open to the visit. Today, significant remains remain, such as the church's transept and choir (XII-11th centuries), a 14th century abbatial chapel, an abbatial home, a monastic barn, and a 17th century dovecote.

The architecture of the abbey reflects its different periods of construction and redesign. The main buildings, in tufeau, include the church (with the exception of the nave, destroyed in 1853), the abbey house, the hotel, the capitular hall, and a three-vessel barn. The south transept dates back to the third quarter of the 12th century, while the choir and the north transept, vaulted with dogives, date back to the early 13th century. The tower, rebuilt in 1633, bears the arms of Abbé Verdier. Despite the destruction, these elements demonstrate the historical and artistic significance of the site.

The Abbey of Asnière illustrates the religious, political and social upheavals that marked France from the 12th to the 18th century. Founded in a context of monastic reform, it was a place of power and burial for the lords of Montreuil-Bellay. Its decline, linked to religious conflicts and secularization, reflects the changes in the Church and French society. Today, its partial state of conservation and its successive restorations make it a precious testimony of the Angelvin heritage, between medieval heritage and modern transformations.

External links