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Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Amand-de-Coly found its origins in the 6th century, when the monk Saint Sore (or Sorus) and his disciples Amand and Cyprien settled on the Merovingian estate of Genuliacus (now Terrasson), at the borders of Limousin and Périgord. Around 558, during the reign of Clotaire I, they led an eremitic life there. In 585, King Gontran, the son of Clotaire, visited Sorus and granted him land to found a Christian community in honor of the martyr Julien de Brioude, with the help of Abbé Aredius de Saint-Yrieix. At the death of Sorus, his disciples evangelized in a basilica on the estate, while Amand, after evangelizing the area from a cave, gave his name to the future monastery.

In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Abbey of St. Sore (original name) will swarm about twenty churches and priories within a radius of 20 km. In 833, however, Louis le Pieux returned the church of Genouillac to the abbey of Saint-Martial de Limoges. In 857, the Normans destroyed the monastery during their incursions along the Vézère. The renaissance will probably come from Odon, Abbé de Cluny, who in 937 protected the abbey from the spoliations of the Counts of Périgord by placing it under royal authority. In 1046, a Catalan rotulus proved its existence as San Amando dicho Genolitico, linked to the family of Terrasson.

In 1080, the Augustine canons founded the monastery of Châtres near Saint-Amand, marking a turning point. In 1101, Saint-Martial de Limoges imposed the reform of Benedictine Clunisian in Saint-Sore, pushing refractory monks to adopt the Augustinian rule and settle in Saint-Amand. Between 1125 and 1130, the construction of the abbey church began, as evidenced by the epitaph of the first known abbot, Guillaume, buried in the north wall. The twelfth century marked its climax, with increasing influence in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, despite the wars and the decrease of the monks (only seven in 1347).

The defences of the abbey, added in the 13th century or around 1350, reflect the tensions of the time. In 1356 John II the Good transferred the abbey's tributes to the count of Périgord, while the Hundred Years War left the abbey and the village in ruins. Partially rebuilt thanks to Jean de Bretagne in the 15th century, it had twelve canons in 1483. The wars of Religion aggravate his misfortunes: in 1575 Protestants occupied him, and Henri de Noailles bombed her to take her back. Summaryly restored in 1597, it declined until its suppression in the 18th century, its archives disappearing during the Revolution.

In the 19th century, the abbey church, which became parish, was in ruins before being saved by Abbé Carrier and the premises. Ranked in 1886, it benefits from successive restorations: structure in 1894 by Anatole de Baudot, vaults and walls consolidated between 1905 and 1936, roof of lauzes in 1947, and defensive platforms in 1962. Ranked a historic monument in 1965, it now embodies a major medieval and religious heritage of the Périgord Noir.

The historical sources, such as the Vita sancti Sori and Vita sancti Amandi, or the Catalan cartulars, highlight its links with the local noble families (Terrasson, Turenne) and neighbouring abbeys (Saint-Sore, Saint-Martial). Its architecture combines Romanesque and defensive styles, reflecting a turbulent history between spirituality, seigneurial power and conflicts.

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