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Key figures

Origin and history

The Abbey of Saint-Maur, originally named Saint-Pierre-du-Fossé, was founded in 639 by the Parisian deacon Blidegisilus on a steep site on the edge of Marne, under the regency of Queen Nanthilde. His first abbot, Babolein, was buried there in a primitive church whose ruins of the chapel Notre-Dame des Miracles remain. The abbey, protected by royal immunity from 658, became a place of power and spirituality, welcoming Merovingian charters and relics like those of Saint Maur in 868, transferred from Glanfeuil to protect them from Vikings.

In the 9th century, the abbey was reformed under Louis le Pieux, with the reconstruction of the Abbey II in 829 by Abbé Benedict. After a period of decadence under lay abbots like Hugues Capet, it was restored in 989 by Saint Mayeul de Cluny. The Abbey IV, dedicated in 1030, became a well-known pilgrimage center for the healing of gout and epilepsy, attracting even Emperor Charles IV in 1378. The site also housed political treaties, such as those of 1418 and 1465, signed in the Abbatial house.

The abbey declined from the 15th century, falling into the beginning in 1493 before being secularized in 1533 by Cardinal Jean du Bellay, who welcomed Rabelais. The buildings, poorly maintained, were sold in 1751 to the prince of Condé and demolished, leaving only remains such as the Rabelais tower or the Notre-Dame-des-Miracles chapel. In the 19th century, the site was transformed into a romantic park by Édouard Bourières, who erected a neo-Renaissance villa on the ruins. Today, the Abbey Park preserves archaeological traces classified as Historical Monuments since 1988.

Archaeological excavations, carried out since 1861, have revealed Carolingian burials, Romanesque structures (XI–XIII centuries), and levels prior to the Abbey, dating from the Iron Age. The cloister, partly known by preserved sculptures, and the nave of the abbey were explored in 1988, revealing 13th century varnished tiles and medieval burials. The park now hosts cultural events, perpetuating the memory of this missing monument.

Among the notable abbots, Pierre de Chevry (1256–185) rebuilt the Gothic choir and wrote the Black Book, a collection of medieval charters. The abbey also had Parisian properties, such as the abbey Saint-Éloi, and seigneurial rights over the village Saint-Paul. Its decline accelerated after the Revolution, with the closure of the chapel and the dispersal of its property.

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