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Origin and history

The abbey of Notre-Dame de Loroy, also known as the abbey of Lorroy or Lorois, is a former Cistercian abbey founded around 1125 by the monks of the Cour-Dieu, themselves from Cîteaux. She moved to Méry-es-Bois (Dear) at the request of Vulgrin, Archbishop of Bourges (1120–1137), under the protection of King Louis VI. From the beginning, the abbey prospered thanks to the support of local noble families, such as the lords of Sully and the Graçay, who gave him lands and forest rights. This wealth enabled him to found an abbey-daughter, Élan in the Ardennes, confirming his regional influence.

The abbey suffered serious destruction during the wars of Religion. In 1562 Protestants from Aubigny-sur-Nère looted it and burned it entirely. The reconstruction spanned two decades, with a major restoration completed in 1583. A new fire, caused by a stable valet in 1661, ravages the site again. The definitive reconstruction of the conventual buildings took place only in the 18th century: the western and southern wings were completed in 1724 by François Fricallet, while the northern and eastern wings were completed in 1772 by his son Gaspard Fricallet. The abbey church, damaged repeatedly, saw its vaults and portal restored in 1731.

The French Revolution marked a dramatic turning point: the abbey was closed and sold as a national property in 1790. His buyer, Dr Aubry, preserves the convent buildings but destroys the abbey church. In the 19th century, the count of Clermont-Tonnerre had a chapel erected around 1890 at the corner of the cloister. The abbey, now abandoned, remains famous for its centuries-old ties with Sully's house and its role as an inspiring setting for Alain-Fournier in Le Grand Meaulnes, via the walks of his sister Isabelle. Its ruins, including the rectangular cloister (46 × 34 m) rebuilt in the eighteenth century, have been classified as Historic Monument since 1971.

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