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Origin and history

The Abbey of Gard is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1137 in Crouy-Saint-Pierre, in the Somme, by Meynard and twelve monks of the Abbey of Cherlieu. Its name would come from the "warder" pickard, evoking a crossing point on the Somme. In 1139 she was visited by Bernard de Clairvaux, a major figure in the Cistercian order.

During the Hundred Years War, the abbey was ruined and his abbot, accused of treason in favour of the king of Navarre, was executed in 1358. In 1518, she passed under the regime of commende, with abbots like Mazarin in the 17th century. In the 18th century, reconstructions were undertaken, financed by woodcuts.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the abbey was declared national in 1790, sold and partially demolished. In the 19th century, it experienced a chaotic religious renaissance, successively sheltering Trappists, Spiritans, and Chartreuses, before being again abandoned. In 1967, the Auxiliary Brothers of the clergy restored the abbey house, saving part of the heritage.

Today, the remains of the abbey, including the capitular hall and elements of the cloister, have been protected since 1969. After serving as a religious residence, the buildings were transformed in 2001 into luxury apartments by a private developer.

The abbey of Gard, daughter of Cherlieu and mother of the abbey of Mont des Cats, illustrates the evolution of monastic communities in Picardia, between medieval prosperity, revolutionary decline and partial rebirths.

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