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Origin and history

The abbey of Sainte-Marie de Gourdon, also called the abbey of Léobard or new abbey, is an ancient Cistercian abbey founded in the 13th century by the monks of the abbey of Aubazine. It is distinguished by its atypical settlement on a rocky piton, the Pech-Gisbert, dominating the Céou valley, unlike other Cistercian abbeys often located in valleys. Its foundation in 1242 was linked to Guillaume de Gourdon, Coseigneur de Gourdon, who offered the ground to the monks to avoid a trial in Catharism. The name "de Gourdon" recalls this seigneurial gift.

The abbey is called "new" because a first attempt at cistercian settlement in the region, around 1150 at Lavercantière, had failed before being relocated to La Garde-Dieu. Its construction between 1260 and 1280 coincides with a period of economic prosperity and the rise of Albige heresy in Quercy. As early as 1267, Alphonse de Poitiers granted him pastures, but financial difficulties appeared, leading to seizures of property in 1267-1268. Despite these hazards, the abbey obtained privileges confirmed by Pope Gregory X in 1273 and extended its legal rights in 1287.

The Hundred Years War marked a tragic turning point: the abbey was looted repeatedly by the English and the major companies between 1367 and 1392, becoming uninhabitable around 1387. An attempt at reoccupation at the beginning of the 15th century is attested by the payment of a decime to the Vatican in 1405. Father Bernard de Maranzac led a policy of re-foundation in the 1450s, consolidating the church and renewing leases. Yet in 1502, a papal bubble ordered major repairs (cloister, refectory, dormitory) and the addition of six monks, revealing an advanced state of disrepair.

The wars of Religion aggravated the damage: the abbey was looted in 1552 by Protestants. In the 17th century, the last religious left the place in 1650, and the abbey became parish church in 1658 under the impulse of Bishop Alain de Solminihac. Changes were made between 1658 and 1669, such as an access ramp and a classic door. In 1777, only the church and two living rooms remained; the other buildings are in ruins, invaded by vegetation.

The French Revolution accelerated its decline: sold as a national property in 1790, the abbey was partially restored in 1811 and 1835, but also served as a stone quarry in the nineteenth century. In 1938, a pig house was built in the old monk building, and in 1954, the conversant facade was dynamited to reuse the stones. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1995, it preserves remains of its church, its convent buildings and its cloister turned into a vegetable garden. Archaeological excavations in 1989 produced an overall plan.

Architecturally, the abbey rests on an artificially expanded limestone rock. Its church, 35.44 m long, has a unique vaulted nave facing 30° south. The vaults, made of soft limestone, peak between 4.20 m and 5.46 m. The narrow and high windows, typical of the fourteenth century, illuminate the nave. Despite the destruction, the church remains the most intact witness to this atypical Cistercian heritage.

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