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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The abbey of Rangéval, or Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Abbey, was founded in the 12th century by Hadwige, wife of Thierry d'Apremont, for the order of the Premontrés. It received papal confirmations in 1179 and 1186, and housed prestigious relics such as the Langes of the Child Jesus or the leader of St Matthew. Placed under the patronage of Notre-Dame and Saint Madeleine, it was a major spiritual place until its abolition in 1791 during the Revolution, when its goods were sold and its church dismantled.

In the 18th century, the abbey was rebuilt in a classical style under the direction of architect Nicolas Pierson (from 1729). The current buildings, including a dogive vaulted cloister, a capitular hall with Corinthian columns and a large staircase, bear witness to this period. The abbey also welcomed in 1726 Father Charles Louis Hugo, abbot pre-demonstrated in exile by the Duke of Lorraine, who stayed there under the protection of Abbé Habert.

Ranked a historic monument in 1965, the abbey now retains its semi-cloister and its classic home. Private property, it opens to the public during Heritage Days and Rendez-vous at the gardens. Its imposing wall of enclosure (3 to 4 meters), marked with engraved crosses, and its Natura 2000 gardens (with 200 varieties of fruit trees) recall its monastic past. A nearby tile factory, active in 1760, supplied the area with tiles stamped with an "R".

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