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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Occitanie
  4. Tarn-et-Garonne
  5. 82700 Cordes-Tolosannes

  6. Abbey of Belleperche

 Abbey of Belleperche à Cordes-Tolosannes dans le Tarn-et-Garonne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Abbaye
Tarn-et-Garonne

Abbey of Belleperche

    Route de Belleperche
    82700 Cordes-Tolosannes
Owned by the Department
Museums of France
All abbeys, monasteries and priories of France
Abbaye de Belleperche
Abbaye de Belleperche
Abbaye de Belleperche
Crédit photo : Travail personnel - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1143
Cistercian Foundation
1263
Church Consecration
1454
Introduction of Commende
1572
Pillows during the Wars of Religion
1791
Revolutionary closure
2001
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Former Abbey, including its fountain (Box ZB 51: Remains of buildings (cloister area and archaeological soils); 52, 53: remains of buildings (church grip and archaeological soils); 54, 55: central building (facades and roofs, large staircase with its wrought iron ramp, capitular hall, dining room and music salon on the ground floor, dining room, living room and room called the Bishop on the first floor), east part of the house and wing in return; 71: fountain): by order of 29 May 2001

Key figures

Guilhem Jauffre - Abbé (1263–194) and bishop of Bazas Diplomate for Philip IV the Bel.
Jean de Cardaillac - Abbé commendataire (1485–1543) Works in Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac.
Saint Bernard - Founder of Clairvaux Send the first monks in 1143.
Famille d’Argombat - Domain donors Allows the foundation in the 12th century.
Charles Denis Filanchère - Last prior before 1790 Stunned decor of the prioral apartment.

Origin and history

The Abbey of Belleperche, founded in the 12th century by monks of Clairvaux on an estate offered by the family of Argombat, becomes an influential Cistercian monastery in Languedoc. Moved near the Garonne, it prospers thanks to its barns, vineyards and farms, counting up to 80 monks at its peak. The Wars of Religion (1572) and the regime of commende (introduced in 1454) accelerated its decline, despite luxurious reconstructions such as the Abbatial Palace of 1563.

The French Revolution led to its closure in 1791. Sold as national property, the site is partially demolished (church, cloister, capitular hall) in the 19th century. The scattered furniture elements, such as the Castelsarrasin pulpit or capitals, are now protected. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2001, the restored abbey houses since 1983 a museum of table arts, managed by the department of Tarn-et-Garonne.

The architecture combines medieval vestiges (Gothic Refectory, 13th-century infirmary) and 17th-15th-century developments, such as rock gypseries or neo-Louis XIV salons. The monumental fountain (1614), composed of sculptures from the Gothic church, and the cloister rebuilt in the eighteenth century illustrate this duality. The site also retains traces of revolutionary destructions and subsequent agricultural reuses.

Among the notable abbots, Guilhem Jauffre (abbé in 1263, bishop of Bazas in 1294) played a political role under Philip IV the Bel, while Jean de Cardaillac (1485–1543) conducted works at Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac. Decorative elements, such as a cap of the refectory representing a manticore (now in the United States), testify to the abbey's artistic influence.

Joined Clairvaux in 1143, Belleperche declined after the Wars of Religion and Commende, despite periods of recovery (reconstruction of the church in 1610–13). Its hotel, with lounges and guest rooms, reflects its use as an aristocratic residence in the 17th to 18th centuries. Partial demolition in the 19th century and modern restorations shaped its present aspect, between religious and cultural heritage.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Official website
Page Monumentum