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Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey, founded according to legend in the fifth century by Saint Domitien and his companion Modeste, developed around a monastery erected on a plateau overlooking the torrent of Brevon. In the seventh century, the noble franc Ragnebert (later Saint Rambert), exiled and murdered near the site, was buried there, transforming the place into an important pilgrimage. His body, gathered by the monks, would have caused miracles, attracting faithful and promoting the emergence of the city.

The abbey was officially restored and erected as Benedictine abbey around 807 by Leidride, archbishop of Lyon. In the 12th century, it reached its peak, becoming an independent state under the direct authority of the pope, with domains extending as far as Savoy. In 1191, a papal bubble of Celestin III confirmed its privileges, revealing an influence beyond the simple canton of Saint-Rambert. The construction of the Château de Cornillon, then a betting treaty with Count Thomas I of Savoie in 1196, mark his political history, mixing alliances and conflicts for the control of the town.

The abbey was secularized in 1788, shortly before the French Revolution. Its buildings, sold as national property, were partly destroyed, including the church in 1793. The fortuitous rediscovery of the crypt of Saint Domitian in 1838, during a landslide, revealed remains of the 9th-Xth centuries, including an apse and two apsidioles. Today, only fragments such as the crypt and the prior's house remain, while the nuns of Notre-Dame des Missions set up a reception place for Eurasian girls in the framework of the FOEFI from 1949.

Ranked a historical monument in 1945 for its Romanesque crypt and its capitals re-used in Saint-Antoine church, the Abbey illustrates medieval religious architecture and the turbulent history of Bugey. Its heritage blends hagiographic legends, ecclesiastical power and feudal issues, reflecting the political and spiritual dynamics of the 11th to 13th century region.

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