Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Junian Abbey of Nouaillé-Maupertuis, founded in the 9th century by Benedictine monks, settles in the Miosson valley 15 km from Poitiers. Originally dependent on Saint-Hilaire Abbey, she adopted the rule of Saint Benedict in 808 under the impulse of Father Godelin. The latter erected a church with an crypt to house the relics of Saint Junien, transferred in 830. Carolingian remains, such as terracotta paving and carved plates of interlacing, testify to this period.

In the Middle Ages, the abbey prospered under the protection of the Counts of Poitou. In the 11th century, Abbé Constantine undertook major restorations: the nave, originally carpented, was vaulted in stone in the 12th century, with quadrilobed columns and broken arches. A bell tower, inspired by Carolingian traditions, is added to the western facade. In the 14th century, a fortified enclosure was built to protect the monastery, then weakened by the Hundred Years War and the relaxation of monastic discipline.

The Renaissance marked a turning point with the regime of the beginning: Abbé Raoul du Fou, also bishop of Evreux, built a flamboyant Gothic abbey (today the town hall) and modernized the abbey. In 1569, the Protestant troops of Coligny looted and burned the choir, cloister and dormitories, partially sparing the nave. The reconstruction spanned several decades, with major works in the 17th century under the impulse of Maurists, including the jube and wooden stalls carved by Jean Girouard.

The crypts, rediscovered in 1945, house columns dating from the fifth century and traces of paintings. The Carolingian sarcophagus of Saint Junien, decorated with motifs inspired by Oriental fabrics, remains a treasure of the Abbey. Classified as a historical monument in 1846, the abbey became a parish church after the Revolution. Its Romanesque (nef, historic capitals) and Gothic (choir vaults) elements illustrate its architectural evolution over more than a millennium.

Conventual buildings, such as the 12th century western wing or the cylindrical chimney with steel teeth, complete this set. The abbey house of the 15th century, today town hall, recalls the influence of the abbots commedataires. Despite the successive destructions and restorations, the abbey retains traces of each period, from Carolingian origins to modern times.

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