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Abbey of Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon dans le Vaucluse

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Abbaye
Eglise romane
Vaucluse

Abbey of Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon

    D174
    84400 Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Abbaye Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon
Crédit photo : EmDee - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
VIIIe siècle
Probable Foundation
1004
First certificate
1019
Connecting to Saint-Gilles
Fin XIIe siècle
Construction of the current building
1431
Episcopal beginning
1789
Sale as a national good
24 juin 1996
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Former Abbey and its parcels (see AE 90, 91, 224, 269, 270): by order of 24 June 1996

Key figures

Saint Martian - Legendary Founder Abbé associated with the foundation
Robert et Varacon - Lords of Saignon Restorers after invasions
René Fouquet - Merchant Abbé (1684–1694) Parent of Nicolas Fouquet
Pierre de Forlì - Abbé commendataire Post-medieval Manager
César Trivulce - Abbé commendataire Period of episcopal beginning

Origin and history

Saint-Eusèbe de Saignon Abbey, located 1 km east of the village in the Luberon Massif, is an ancient Benedictine abbey in Romanesque style. Probably based in the eighth century on the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa (the villa Obaga), it is attested from 1004 under the name Beati Eusebii. Ruined during the invasions, it was restored by the lords of Saignon before being attached in 1019 to the Abbey of Saint-Gilles in Languedoc. The present building, built at the end of the 12th century, is one of the few examples of Lombard Romanesque art in Provence, characterized by Lombardic bands on its central apse.

In the Middle Ages, the abbey extended its influence over six dioceses (Apt, Cavaillon, Carpentras, Glandevès, Aix and Nice). Deserted by her monks, in 1431 she became a beginning of the prince-bishops of Apt, then sold as a national good at the Revolution. Today, only the abbey church remains, transformed into a barn before becoming a place of exhibition. Ranked as a historic monument in 1996 (after inscriptions in 1952 and 1993), it retains remarkable elements such as carved capitals and narrowly brazed windows.

Archaeological excavations revealed on its site the remains of the Fronton Palace, an aristocratic residence of the second–third centuries. The abbey was led by conventual abbots, then by comndataires, including René Fouquet (1684–94), a relative of Nicolas Fouquet. Its architecture mixes stone and tiles, with a central apse flanked by absidioles without Lombard decorations. The columns of the axial window, surmounted by carved capitals, bear witness to the artistic richness of the site.

Private property since the Revolution, the abbey is subject to heritage protections for its remains and surrounding parcels (cadastre AE 90, 91, 224, 269, 270). Its history, marked by phases of decline and rebirth, reflects the religious and political upheavals of medieval and modern Provence. Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its role in the regional monastic network and its unique architectural interest.

External links