Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Sainte-Marie de Villelongue, located in Saint-Martin-le-Vieil in the Aude, was founded between 1145 and 1149 by Guillaume, a monk of Morimond Abbey, on a site called Compania (current farm of Compagne), between the Sor and Lampy rivers. The first donations, dated 1149, were made by the Lord of Saissac and the neighboring lords, offering land and tithes to establish the monastery. In 1151, the priory of Compania was erected as an abbey under the direction of Arnaud I, first abbot, and the site of Villelongue became its economic heart thanks to successive acquisitions, including the Saint John's farmhouse.

In the 12th century, the abbey prospered under the impulse of abbots like William II Raimond (1177), who received donations and managed territorial conflicts. At the beginning of the 13th century, Simon de Montfort rewarded the monks for their opposition to the cathars by giving them the castle of Saint-Martin-le-Vieil (1212). The reconstruction of the church, a Cistercian spirit, spread from the middle of the 13th to the early 14th century, marked by extensions and southern Gothic sculptures. However, epidemics of plague in the 14th century began its decline.

The abbey was looted in 1568 by the Protestants and then poorly managed financially, leading to the partial sale of its land in 1781. At the time of the Revolution, it had only two monks and was sold as national property in 1791 to a doctor from Saissac, Guillaume Boussac, who converted it into a farm. Classified as a historic monument in 1916, it was partially restored between 1952 and 1955. Today, the site is divided between the ruins of the abbey, open to the visit, and a set of dwellings from the ancient abbey house.

The architecture of Villelongue is distinguished by its atypical sculptures for a Cistercian abbey: the capitals of the cloister (XIIIth–XIVth centuries) represent human and animal figures, even a devil's head, in violation of the Benedictine rule. These works, close to those of Saint-Papoul Abbey, bear witness to a regional artistic influence. The vault of the hall of monks, added in the 17th century, and the remains of the claustral buildings (late 12th–early 14th) complete this heritage.

The notable abbots included Arnaud II, who received the château of Saint-Martin-le-Viel by Simon de Montfort (1212), and Jacques II de La Jugie (1585–1614), who rebuilt the abbatial home after the Wars of Religion. The list of abbots, documented until the 18th century, reflects the abbey's links with local and religious authorities, especially during papal donations (such as the bubble of Clement IV) or internal reforms (e.g. Bernard in 1346).

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