Foundation of the monastery 662 (≈ 662)
Created by Saint Philibert for women.
704
Death of Saint Austreberthe
Death of Saint Austreberthe 704 (≈ 704)
First abbess, builder of the churches.
IXe siècle
Destruction by the Normans
Destruction by the Normans IXe siècle (≈ 950)
Run from the nuns to Montreuil.
1090
Restoration of the priory
Restoration of the priory 1090 (≈ 1090)
Reconstruction by Gautier I of the Trinity.
1717
Abandonment of the site
Abandonment of the site 1717 (≈ 1717)
Final departure of the nuns.
1860
Reopening to worship
Reopening to worship 1860 (≈ 1860)
Repurchase and restoration of the chapel.
26 mars 1934
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 26 mars 1934 (≈ 1934)
Protection of the chapel of Sainte-Austreberthe.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Chapelle Sainte-Austreberte, in the Hospice: inscription by decree of 26 March 1934
Key figures
Saint Philibert - Founder of the Abbey
Abbé de Jumièges, creator of the monastery in 662.
Sainte Austreberthe - First abbess
Directed Pavilly until 704, church builder.
Gautier I - Abbé restaurateur
Reconstructs the priory in the 11th century.
Origin and history
The Abbey of Pavilly was founded in 662 by Saint Philibert, abbot of Jumièges, as a monastery dedicated to women. Sainte Austreberthe, the first abbess from Port-le-Grand, led the community there until his death in 704. She had three churches built (Vierge, Saint Martin, Saint Peter), before the site was ravaged by the Normans in the ninth century, forcing the nuns to flee to Montreuil, where they founded the abbey of Sainte-Austreberthe.
In the 4th quarter of the 11th century, Abbé Gautier I of the Trinity of the Mount restored a priory on the ruins, rebuilding the church. Abandoned in 1717, the chapel was redeemed and reopened to worship in 1860. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1934 protects this vestige of the 11th century, while the treasure of sacred art of the nuns, including the lacrosse of Saint Austreberthe (VIIth–XVIIIth century), is preserved in Montreuil.
The site, now owned by an association, bears witness to nearly 1,400 years of monastic history, marked by destruction, reconstruction and displacement of religious communities. The chapel Sainte-Austreberthe, the only protected element, embodies the persistence of worship despite historical upheavals, from Viking invasions to the Industrial Revolution.
