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Origin and history

The abbey of Breuil-Benoît, located in Marcilly-sur-Eure in the department of Eure, is founded on 8 May 1137 by Foulques de Marcilly, with the arrival of monks from the abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay. His name, Brolium Benedicti in Latin, comes from the rule of Saint Benedict adopted from its foundation in a place called The Breuil. It became a Cistercian abbey in 1147, marking its attachment to this influential monastic order.

The abbey church, dedicated to Mary and Saint John the Baptist, was built in 1190 thanks to the funding of Guillaume de Marcilly, who returned from crusade. It was consecrated in 1224 by the bishops of Evreux Richard and Gautier de Chartres. Thibaut de Marly became abbot between 1235 and 1247. The abbey then underwent transformations, notably under the merchant abbot Michel Poncet de La Rivière († 1728) and the last abbot, Denis Péguilhan de Harboust († 1804).

Sold as national property, part of the buildings, including the transept, is destroyed to recover the stones. In 1842 Gustave de Reiset, brother of the Louvre museum director, bought the abbey and began its restoration. The church, reduced to six spans, was restored in 1854. The Count of Reiset established a museum, scattered after his death in 1905 and his widow's in the 1920s. Since 1995, new owners have been working to preserve it.

The Breuil-Benoît Abbey is now the only Cistercian church in Normandy. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1993, it bears witness to medieval religious architecture and the vicissitudes of history, from its monastic foundation to its modern restorations. Its rich iconography, including 18th-century drawings and 19th-century photographs, illustrates its heritage importance.

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