Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The royal abbey of Celles-sur-Belle came into being in 1137, when the priory of Notre-Dame-de-Celles was erected as an abbey by the bishop of Poitiers. Located on the road to Santiago de Compostela, it became a major stage for pilgrims. The Abbatial, originally Romanesque, was rebuilt in the 15th century under the orders of Louis XI, before being destroyed in 1568 by the Huguenots during the Wars of Religion. These conflicts marked the end of the first abbey, founded at the end of the 11th century and completely razed.

In the 17th century, architect François Le Duc, known as Tuscany, undertook the reconstruction of the Abbey in a Louis XIV style. The monument, dominated by a bell tower and a Romanesque portal with polylobed windows, reflects this dual architectural influence. The French Revolution, in 1789, changed its destiny: sale as a national good, expulsion of religious, and transformation into prison during the Vendée wars. The Abbey became a parish church after the Concordat of 1801, while the convent house, deprived of its original roof, was partially preserved.

The pilgrimage, which fell into disuse, was restored in 1899, and the Montfortans tried to revive the abbey from 1921 to 1970. Since 1971, it has been owned by the municipality. Classified as a historic monument in 1977, the Abbey and its remains (medieval cloister, logis Saint-Gobert) were restored. Today, the site houses a museum rebuilding the abbot's room and a monastic cell, while welcoming cultural activities (exhibitions, festivals).

The architecture of the abbey combines Romanesque elements (sculpted chapels, crypt of Saint-Hilaire) and classics (gardens with French, 17th century refectory). The facade, marked by a decentralized monumental staircase, reveals a luminous nave thanks to the height of its vaults. The vestiges of the Claustral buildings, frequented by Louis XI, bear witness to his past grandeur, before the destructions of the sixteenth century. The room of the Pillar and the crypt offer an overview of the first medieval buildings.

The French gardens, below the church, highlight the dominance of the building over the Belle Valley. The museum, housed in the convent buildings, highlights the turbulent history of the place, from medieval pilgrimages to revolutionary transformations. The Abbey, symbol of the religious and architectural heritage of the Deux-Sèvres, remains a place of memory and culture, attracting visitors and researchers.

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