Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Toussaint Abbey, located in Châlons-en-Champagne, finds its origins in the fifth century with a church dedicated to the Saint-Innocents, later became the church of Saint-Sulpice served by Benedictine monks. In the 11th century, Bishop Roger II officially founded the abbey by transferring the relics of Saint Lumier and giving it land, with the support of the Count of Flanders Baudouin. A charter of 1062, sealed by the bishop and local notables, enshrines his status. The abbey, originally outside the walls of the city, was destroyed several times (fires of 1356 and 1359 by the English, ravages of Charles Quint in 1544) before being rebuilt in the 16th century under the impulse of Abbé Claude Godet, who moved part of the intramural buildings.

At the time of the Revolution, the abbey was dismantled: its church was sold and destroyed, while its convent buildings, spared for lack of buyers, successively housed an artillery school (1791–1806), housing for the professors of Arts and Crafts (1806–61), and then the normal school of teachers from 1861. In the 19th century, additional wings were added (1876) in harmony with the Renaissance style of the original building. Ranked a historic monument in 1936 and 2012 for its remarkable facades, roofs and halls (including a vaulted vaulted hall), the abbey is now a private property being transformed into houses.

The abbey played a major social role: its Augustinian canons managed a leper and pestile hospital, as well as local parishes thanks to the right of patronage on 24 churches in the region (such as Auve, Fèrebrianges or Sarry). The site, originally insular between the Marne arms, was gradually integrated into the city after the filling of an arm in 1567 to create Saint-Dominique Street. Its architecture combines chalk and Savonnières stone, with slate roofs and skylights added in the 19th century.

Among the notable figures, Bishop Roger II (XI century) was its founder, while Father Claude Godet (XVI century) financed his reconstruction after the destruction. The regime of the abbots, established in the 16th century, contributed to its decline before the Revolution. Architects Eugène Collin and Louis Gillet intervened during the 19th century enlargements for the École Normale.

The Convent of the Lady-Regents (1672), intended for converts of Protestantism and girls in difficulty, occupied part of the site until its dispersal in 1789. The buildings then became a barracks, then the Royal Artillery School, before being transferred to the Arts and Crafts in 1806. Their educational vocation continued until the 21st century, with a last use as an academic teacher training institute.

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