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Origin and history

The abbey of Bohéries, founded in 1143 by monks of Foigny Abbey (Filiation of Clairvaux), was a Cistercian abbey located in Vadencourt, Aisne. Ruined by the Spaniards between 1636 and 1652, it was rebuilt in the 18th century, with brick and stone buildings inspired by the abbey of Mont-Saint-Martin. His abbatial home, now extinct, had a classical facade decorated with Corinthian pilasters and a triangular pediment.

The abbey farm, the only significant vestige of reconstruction (1650-1740), consists of two symmetrical wings surrounding an octagonal dovecote, one of the most remarkable of Picardie. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1995, it is currently being restored with the support of the State and the Department. The site also preserves traces of the Cistercian hydraulics (channels, ponds), heritage of the early abbey.

Sold as a national property in 1791, the abbey served as a spinning machine before its partial destruction. Today, the estate is open to the public from May to October and hosts cultural events. The private abbey farm illustrates 18th-century religious and agricultural architecture in a landscape shaped by Cistercian monks.

The abbey of Bohéries was the daughter of Foigny Abbey, which was affiliated with Clairvaux. Its history reflects the vicissitudes of European conflicts (Spanish wars) and the successive reconstructions, typical of the border abbeys of Thiérache. The site, protected by its abbey enclosure, is also a preserved nature reserve.

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