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Origin and history

The Abbey of Saint-Maurin finds its origins in a legend of the sixth century: Saint Maurin, a martyr beheaded in Lectoure, was buried in this valley of the Agenas. A basilica was built there, then replaced by a Benedictine monastery mentioned in 1008. In 1082 the abbey was attached to the order of Cluny by Bernard I of Durfort, Viscount of Brulhois, and consecrated in 1097 by the bishop of Agen. Its Romanesque architecture, including a dome nave and cloister, reflected its religious influence and regional influence.

In the 14th century, the abbey suffered heavy destruction during the Hundred Years War: looted in 1345 by the English, then burned in 1355 by the troops of the Prince of Wales, it lost part of its religious and archives. The restoration began under Abbé Hugues de Tilhet (1445–74), but the major works were carried out by the merchant abbots of the Lustrac family in the 15th and 16th centuries. Bertrand de Lustrac had the abbatial castle built around 1500 and rebuilt the cloister, while his nephew Jean de Lustrac completed the improvements, including a new chapter hall.

The wars of Religion aggravate the damage: the abbey was burned by Protestants in 1561, then occupied and looted in 1580. The successive restorations, notably under Abbé Pierre de Villamon (1604–33), allowed his survival until the Revolution. In 1790, declared national, it was partially demolished and sold. Today only remains of the Romanesque choir, the southern crusillon, the bell tower, and four spans of the cloister, classified as Historic Monuments in 1908. The Association Les Amis de l'Abbey of Saint-Maurin, founded in 1993, works to preserve it.

The abbey played a major economic role thanks to its parish possessions, listed in 1254 and 1281, which financed its maintenance and the pensions of the monks. Until the 14th century, the religious lived in a community, but the successive destruction forced them to an individual life. The abbey's income, estimated at 20,000 pounds in 1790, came from donations, priories and agricultural land. Its decline began with the beginning and the religious conflicts, before its definitive disappearance at the Revolution.

Architecturally, the abbey was distinguished by its dome nave, inspired by the cathedral of Périgueux, and its atypical bell tower on the south arm of the transept. The historic capitals of the choir evoke the martyrdom of Saint Maurin. Excavations and studies, such as those of Jacques Gardelles or Christian Corvisier, revealed separate construction campaigns between the 11th and 12th centuries. Despite the destruction, the current remains offer a rare testimony of Clunisian Romanesque art in Aquitaine.

The monastic life at Saint-Maurin was marked by reforms, including the arrival of the Maurists in 1651 under Abbé Mathurin Mangot. These learned monks, from Saint-Germain-des-Prés, tried to revitalize the abbey, but their redevelopment project (plans of 1657) was never realized. The last abbot, Joseph de Galard de Saldebru, had only five religious in 1790. The sale of national property and the demolitions of the 19th century sealed its fate, leaving only ruins evocative of a glorious past.

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