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Origin and history

The abbey Sainte-Croix de Guingamp was founded in 1134 by Count Étienne I of Penthièvre and his wife Havoise de Blois for regular canons of St Augustine, from the abbey Saint-Victor in Paris. The first abbot, Jean de la Gride, the future bishop of Saint-Malo, was replaced by Moyse, driven by the founder's son, Henri, who installed his mistress as "abbess". After an intervention by Pope Eugene III, Henry repented, recalled Moyse and filled the abbey with gifts, later confirmed by the popes.

In the 15th century, Abbé Jean Hamon (1437-1452) partially rebuilt the buildings with the help of Count Pierre de Guingamp. In the 16th century, Abbé Jean de Kernavanay (1514-1536) carried out new works. During the League's wars, the abbey escaped looting. Between 1592 and 1639, under the abbatiate of Pierre Cornulier, the canons were replaced by six priests. In the 18th century, buildings threatened to ruin, and in 1748 the Blessed Sacrament was transferred to the chapel of Rochefort.

During the Revolution, the abbey was sold as a national good and gradually disappeared. In 1926, the abbatial mansion and the remains of the church were listed as historical monuments. Today, the ruins of the abbey (polygonal and transept hair of the 13th century), the 16th century abbey house with its stair turret, and an 18th century arcade surmounted by a plaque reminiscent of the preservation granted by Louis XIII in 1636 remain.

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