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Origin and history

Notre-Dame du Val-Richer Abbey, founded around 1146 by Philippe d'Harcourt, bishop of Bayeux, is a former Cistercian monastery located in Saint-Ouen-le-Pin, Calvados. It was an important place of the Counter-Reform after the Wars of Religion, before experiencing a decline in the eighteenth century, marked by the scarcity of vocations and the influence of the Enlightenment. In 1791 the monks were expelled during the French Revolution, and some of the buildings were destroyed after their sale in 1797.

In the 19th century, the site, then abandoned, was purchased in 1836 by historian and politician François Guizot, who undertook important restorations and built a park. The Val-Richer became a family residence, transmitted by inheritance to the families of Witt and Schlumberger. The remaining buildings, such as the 17th century abbey house and agricultural outbuildings, bear witness to this turbulent history.

The abbey was partially classified as a historical monument in the 20th century, with successive protections in 1991 and 2008. Among the preserved elements are the abbey house, facades and roofs, as well as a laboratory linked to the Schlumberger brothers. The site thus illustrates centuries of history, mixing religious, political and scientific heritage.

The abbey of Val-Richer was initially a daughter of Clairvaux Abbey. It knew 35 abbots before its abolition, and its history reflects the religious and social upheavals of Normandy, from its medieval foundation to its modern role as a place of memory and culture.

Today, the estate belongs to a private company. It preserves traces of its monastic past, such as the 30 stalls of the 17th century now visible in the church of Saint-Jacques de Lisieux, as well as developments related to its successive owners, including Guizot and the Schlumberger.

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