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Origin and history

The Abbey of Notre-Dame de la Blanche, also known as the Abbey of Isle-Dieu, is a former Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th century by monks of the Abbey of Buzay. Originally established on Pilier Island in 1172 as the Abbey of Pilier Island, it was transferred in 1205 to the island of Noirmoutier because of the harsh living conditions. This move is made possible thanks to a gift from the Lord Pierre V de La Garnache, allowing the Cistercians to settle in the north of the island, while the Benedictines of Saint-Philibert have occupied the center since the seventh century. The two abbeys, nicknamed "Black" (Benedictine) and "White" (Cistercian), coexist, the latter being distinguished by its economic dynamism based on the exploitation of salt marshes (3,800 carnations in the Middle Ages).

Unlike the continental food abbeys, the monks of the White derive their sustenance from salt, which they produce and receive as a gift to Noirmoutier and on the island of Bouin. Its isolation preserved it from destruction during the Hundred Years' War, but it fell in the 16th century after the Bologna concordat, passing into the hands of noble families such as the Rohan, the Gondi and the Tremoil. To counter this spiritual decline, the Trappist reform was introduced in 1611, marking a return to a more strict monastic life.

At the Revolution, the abbey was closed and sold as a national property in 1797. The church and cloister are destroyed, but the convent buildings (14th century, remodeled in the 18th century), the Abbatial hotel (XVIIth) and outbuildings remain. Purchased by Mr Jacobsen (Farmer General) and Mr Hocquart (Parliamentary), it is preserved in part thanks to Jean-Corneille Jacobsen, who saves the library. The estate then served as a military hospital during the Vendée War, then as a soda factory in the 19th century. Acquired in 1869 by the family Jeanneau, still owner, the abbey is today a private estate not accessible. Two inscriptions at the Historic Monuments (1926 and 1996) protect its remains, whose portal says it carries to the Lions and the fence walls.

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