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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-Ré Abbey, known as the Châteliers Abbey, is a former Cistercian abbey founded between 1156 and 1178 on the island of Ré, in a rural place called the Châtelier Breuil, near the old Chauvet port. The Cistercian monks, guided by Abbé Isaac de Stella, settled there with the agreement of the Seigneur Eble de Mauléon, despite local rivalries between the Mauléon and Rochefort families. Father Guichard of Pontigny validated the site, but seigneurial disputes persisted, forcing the monks to negotiate their safety and control of local fisheries. The abbey, partly built of stone, becomes a major economic and religious center, overlooking the island's lands.

In the 13th century, the abbey enjoyed remarkable economic growth thanks to its various activities: salt management, rights of passage between the island and the continent, metallurgy, and bell founder. The monks, assisted by conversing brothers, exploit fiefs such as the port of Lead, mills, and tithe barns. However, the abbey suffered repeated destruction: looted in 1294 by the English, rebuilt in the 14th century, then again sacked in 1388 and 1462 during the Hundred Years War. These attacks weakened its influence, despite partial reconstructions such as that of the luminous choir of the Abbey in the 15th century.

The decline accelerated in the sixteenth century, marked by local revolts against the tithes and greed of monks, perceived as oppressive lords. In 1574, the Huguenots ravaged the buildings during the Wars of Religion, precipitating permanent abandonment. In the 17th century, the ruins served as a quarry to build the fort la Prée, while a chapel dedicated to Saint Laurent, managed by the Oratorians, maintained a cult until 1793. Archaeological excavations of the 19th and 20th centuries reveal remains, including the tomb of an abbot of the 13th century, now exposed to the Orbigny Museum in La Rochelle.

Our Lady's Abbey, the best preserved part, features a Gothic style from the 13th to 14th centuries, with a unique nave and a chorus rebuilt in the 15th century. Conventual buildings, on the other hand, are almost entirely missing, with the exception of a few walls and the route of the cloister. Ranked a historic monument in 1990, the abbey bears witness to the turbulent history of island religious establishments, between economic prosperity, armed conflict and progressive decline.

Fidelity and dependencies: The Abbey of the Châteliers is linked to the Abbey of Trizay and that of the Star, both daughters of the Burgundy Abbey of Pontigny. His first abbot, Isaac de Stella, was trained at the Abbey of the Star, highlighting the close links between these Cistercian foundations.

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