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Origin and history

The Abbey of the Garde-Dieu is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1147 by the monks of the Abbey of Aubazine, in the territory of Mirabel, Tarn-et-Garonne. She is part of the medieval monastic movement, linked to the order of Cîteaux, and becomes a spiritual daughter of Aubazine, thus participating in the expansion of Cistercian influence in southwestern France.

During the Wars of Religion, the abbey suffered serious damage in 1567, like its neighbour, the abbey of Saint-Marcel de Réalville. These religious conflicts, which tear France apart in the sixteenth century, leave lasting traces of the architectural and monastic heritage of the region. The partial destruction of God's Guard reflects the violence of this period.

The reconstruction of the abbey began after these events, but it did not end until 1707, 140 years after its destruction. Despite these efforts, monastic life gradually declined: only four monks lived there in 1719, then three in 1768. In 1790, in the context of the French Revolution, the abbey was closed and sold as a national good, marking the end of its religious role.

In the 19th century, the Cistercians of the Abbey of Senanque tried to revive the site in 1863, but the owner of the site, then using the stones of the Abbey as a quarry, opposed their installation. The monks were expelled in 1865, and a fire finished destroying the remains in 1897. Only the dovecote, inscribed in the historic monuments in 1950, remains as a witness to this past.

Architecturally, the Pigeon of God's Guard, brick and square, is surmounted by a central bellet. Its lower part is arched, and its openings in the middle of the hanger remind the sober and functional style of Cistercian constructions. This last vestige illustrates the economic and symbolic importance of abbeys in the medieval and modern rural organization.

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