Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Absie Abbey, located in the eponymous village, was founded in 1120 by Giraud de Salles as a Benedictine monastery. Today's remains, including the church and east wing of the cloister, bear witness to its original Romanesque architecture, marked by archatures in the middle of the wall and granite and limestone elements. The capitular hall, cellar and bakery, dated from the 12th century, illustrate medieval monastic life, while a 13th century rose and murderers recall later additions.

Between the 15th and 18th centuries, the abbey underwent major transformations and a gradual decline. Restored between 1456 and 1482, she passed under the regime of commende, causing a relaxation of monastic rules. In the seventeenth century, new buildings were erected, but community life disappeared in the next century. A fire in 1715 partially destroyed the 15th century vaults, before the whole was dispersed during the Revolution. Today, only the church, the eastern wing of the cloister, the priory and some outbuildings remain.

The successive protections (registration of the bell tower in 1926, classification of the church in 1932, inscription of the remains of the cloister in 1990) underline the heritage value of the site. Property of the municipality of L-Absie (Deux-Sèvres), the abbey mixes granite bellows, limestone and traces of architectural changes, offering a fragmentary but precious testimony of nearly seven centuries of religious and local history.

External links