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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin Abbey of Mondaye, founded in 1200 by a hermit community led by the priest Turstin, settled in Normandy under the protection of the bishop of Bayeux. In 1210, she joined the order of the Premonstrates and received generous donations from local lords, such as the families of Vassy and Percy. In the 13th century, a church and convent buildings replaced the original hermitage, but wars and the black plague of the 14th century ravaged the abbey, especially during the looting of the Count d'Arundel in 1389.

In the 16th century, the abbey underwent a revival under the abbey of Jean Feray, before being devastated by the wars of Religion: Abbé Julien Guichard was killed in 1564, and the buildings were burned. The reform of Lorraine, adopted in 1655, revived the monastic discipline, despite the appointment of Claude Philippe Le Clerc du Tremblay, who was president of the abbey for 75 years. The total reconstruction began in the 18th century under the impetus of Louis XIV and Louis XV, with the architect Eustache Restout, himself canon of Mondaye.

From 1706 to 1743, Restout oversees the reconstruction of the church, the convent buildings and the farm in a sober classical style, maintaining a monacal austerity. The Revolution dispersed the religious in 1789, but the Sabbath was saved by Father Paynel, parish priest of Juaye. In the 19th century, the Premontrés returned in 1859 after a passage of the Trappistines, and completed the north and south wings in accordance with the original style. Expelled in 1880 and 1902, they returned permanently in 1921.

The abbey, classified as Historic Monument between 1927 and 1999, suffered damage during the landing of 1944, requiring restorations until 2007. Today, it is home to an active community of regular canons, engaged in parish ministries and welcoming retirees. The farm, bought in 2007, was restored to the architectural unit of the site. The 18th-century organ by Claude Parisot and the 65,000-volume library bear witness to its rich heritage.

The church, designed by Restout, features a 60-metre nave with a dome inspired by that of Seals, painted by Charles Le Brun. The cloister, unfinished, and the convent buildings mix wings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Two priories still depend on Mondaye: Sainte-Foy de Conques (Aveyron) and Notre-Dame de Sarrance (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). The Abbey remains a place of monastic life, culture and spiritual influence in Normandy.

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