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Origin and history

The royal abbey Notre-Dame de Lieu-Dieu was founded in 1197 by Richard Cœur de Lion for pre-showed canons, on the present commune of Jard-sur-Mer (Vendée, Pays de la Loire). After two centuries of prosperity, she suffered three major devastations: in 1372 (pillage by the troops of Charles V after the recovery to the English), in 1484 (conflict for the appointment of Abbé René de La Tremblaye, followed by a bag by the men of Jean de La Tremeille), and in 1568 (fire by Calvinists during the Wars of Religion). These events permanently weakened the monastery, despite periods of revival such as the visit of Bertrand de Got (future Pope Clement V) in 1305, where he confirmed clerics and celebrated Mass.

In 1667, the general of the Prémontrés, Michel II de Colbert de Terron, attempted to annex the abbey's property to the college of order in Paris. A 60-year trial ensued, leading in 1720 to the forced union of income. The abbey was then systematically stripped away: panelling, stained glass, liturgical objects (ciborium, organs, bells) and even architectural elements (pillars, slates) were sold between 1721 and 1722. The decline accelerated with its conversion into a farm in 1733, then its sale as a national property in 1791 to a merchant of Sands-d'Olonne, who dismantled the last noble materials.

In the 21st century, the abbey was bought in 2012 by the Peloux family, which began its restoration and opened it to the public in 2013. The remains protected since 1927 (large building, capitular hall, remains of the abbey and parish churches) bear witness to its turbulent past. The engraving of Octave de Rochebrune (1860) and the archives of the 1721 trial (detailed description of the premises) are major iconographic and documentary sources.

The abbey illustrates the political and religious tensions of his time: feudal conflicts (La Tremeille vs La Tremblaye), Wars of Religion (Calvinist raid of 1568), and monarchical centralization (annexation of property by Louis XV in 1720). Its decline also reflects the upheavals of the Revolution, with the dispersion of its architectural and furniture heritage. Today, the site combines historical memory and tourist development project.

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