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Origin and history

The abbey of Port-Royal des Champs, founded in 1204 by Mathilde de Garlande, wife of a crusader, settled in the valley of the "Porrois" (future "Port-Royal"), near the Vaux-de-Cernay. This Cistercian female monastery, initially dependent on the nearby male abbey, gained its autonomy in 1214 with the election of its first abbess, Eremberge. Its sober Gothic architecture, typical of the order, includes a single nave church, a cloister, and ponds fed by the Rhodoon, reflecting the ideal Cistercian of humility and withdrawal from the world.

In the 17th century, Port-Royal became a major intellectual and spiritual home under the impulse of Angelique Arnauld (1602-1630), who reformed the monastery in the line of the Council of Trent. The site attracts "Solitaires", pious men like Antoine Le Maistre or Blaise Pascal, who find there a "thebaide" suitable for meditation. However, his association with Jansenism – controversial theological doctrine – and his opposition to the Jesuits were worth increasing persecutions in the Abbey during Louis XIV.

The Jansenist controversy culminated in 1661 with the ban on welcoming novices, and in 1709 with the expulsion of the last 22 nuns. Despite symbolic resistance, such as the refusal to sign the Alexander VII Form, the abbey was razed in 1710-1711. Its stones are scattered, but the site, classified as a historical monument, becomes a place of memory and pilgrimage. Today, it houses a national museum in the ancient Granges, the last vestige of 17th century buildings.

The estate, marked by ponds, a medieval dovecote and the foundations of the church, illustrates the architectural and spiritual heritage of Port Royal. His history, linked to figures such as Pascal, Racine or Philippe de Champaigne (whose paintings adorn the museum), makes him a symbol of the struggle between royal power and freedom of conscience. The ruins, preserved since the 19th century by learned societies, always attract researchers and visitors.

The abbey derives its initial wealth from agricultural and forestry land (farms of the Granges, seigneury of Mondeville), transformed into rents and then loans, operating almost as a bank. In the 15th century, the Hundred Years' War and epidemics weakened the community, before a renaissance in the 17th century under the Arnauld. The peace of the Church (1668-1679) offered a respite, but the resumption of persecution ended in its definitive closure.

Since 2004, the State has managed both sites (ruins and Granges) through a public interest group. The museum exhibits works by Champaigne, Jansenist manuscripts, and objects related to the Solitaries. The partially restored gardens evoke the historic orchard, while archaeological excavations specify the location of the missing buildings.

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