Origin and history
The Notre-Dame de Lure Abbey, located in the forest of the Lure mountain in Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), was founded in the 3rd quarter of the 12th century by swarming of the abbey of Boscodon. The site, given in 1165 by the local lords to Guigues, Abbé de Boscodon, was built under the direction of Guigues de Revel, who also supervised the abbeys of Boscodon and Prads. The act of donation, confirmed in 1207, mentions priories and a cellar given by Guillaume IV de Forcalquier in 1191. The abbey, placed under the name of Sainte-Marie, was part of a network of outbuildings covering the country of Aigues, Manosque and the Jabron valley.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the abbey came into conflict with the canons of Aix-en-Provence for the priory of La Tour-d'Aigues (1304-1306). After the failure of an attempt to join the Dominicans, the papacy of Avignon, under John XXII, placed it in 1317 under the authority of the chapter of Avignon, following the Augustinian rule. Twelve monks became canons, while eight joined Avignon. This change marked the beginning of a decline: the monks gradually deserted the abbey in winter, preferring their pantry, renamed the Abbadié. In 1481, under Sixtus IV, the abbey was secularized, then destroyed during the wars of Religion (1562 and 1578).
In the 17th century, the commune of Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues and the local clergy undertook restorations (1636-1659), saving the abbey, hermitages, and a cistern. An annual pilgrimage, formalized in 1656 after miracles recognized by Pope Alexander VII, revived the site. The French Revolution led to the sale of land in 1790-1791, but the pilgrimage returned in 1801. Restoration campaigns (XIX-XX century), including that of 1975 by volunteers, allowed to preserve the remains classified as Historic Monument in 1980. Today, the abbey church, atypically oriented (cheve to the northeast), and two vaulted rooms remain.
The architecture of the abbatial, in Latin cross, includes a nave of four vaulted spans in the middle of the hangar, an elevated choir, and a false transept overlooking two chapels. A false collateral, added at the end of the 12th century, forms a vaulted gallery in half-cradle. The gate, with three windows, opens in the axis of the primitive entrance. The generous lighting in the sanctuary (three bays and one cross oculus), contrasts with the northern murderers. The communes, reduced to two vaulted rooms, include the ground floor of the current hermitage, once accessible by two doors now closed.
The legend attributes the early foundation to Saint Donat, hermit of the sixth century, but the present abbey was re-founded in the twelfth century by the abbey of Boscodon, herself daughter of Notre-Dame-de-Chalais (Isère). The Abbey of Clausonne, daughter of Lure, was built in 1185 in the Hautes-Alpes. The site, at 1200 m above sea level, served as a refuge for shepherds after its ruin. The pilgrimage of 15 August, celebrated for the Assumption, today perpetuates its memory.
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