Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey Saint-Jean de Montierneuf was founded in 1069 by Guillaume VIII d'Aquitaine, Count of Poitiers, in exchange for a papal dispensation to marry his cousin Audearde of Burgundy. Authorised by Pope Gregory VII in 1076, it was attached to the congregation of Cluny and designed to accommodate a hundred monks. Pope Urban II consecrated it in 1096 during his visit to Poitou to preach the Crusade. The abbey, richly endowed by its founder, became the necropolis of the Dukes of Aquitaine.

In the 16th century, the Huguenots destroyed the ducal tombs, the cloister, and burned down the buildings in 1562. Despite attempts at restoration in the 17th and 18th centuries (work in 1643-1644 and 1668-1672), the abbey declined. After the Revolution, it served as a stable (1789-1805), then was converted into barracks (Quartier Dalesme) before building educational institutions in the 19th century. The church, classified in 1840, was partially restored by Father Sabourin (1817-1822).

The architecture of the abbey combines Romanesque (nef, low-side) and Gothic styles (nevet radiating from the 14th century, bow-buttons). The nave, rebuilt after the fire of 1562, was lowered and equipped with a classic façade in the seventeenth century. The cenotaph of William VIII, destroyed and restored several times, is now in the south side, although its original grave remains in the centre of the church. The decor includes surviving novel capitals, such as the elephants' capital (the Sainte-Croix museum), the oldest representation of this animal in French art.

The monastic buildings, very remodeled, retain only a 17th century cloister wing. The abbey, originally built outside the Roman walls, was fortified in the 15th century and was integrated into the city centre with the medieval extension. After 1787, the last Benedictine monks left. In the 20th century, the site hosted ENSMA, faculties, and an associative cinema, Dietrich.

Key figures include William VIII, founder and sponsor, and Abbé Sabourin, 19th-century restorer. The abbey illustrates the political and religious ambitions of the Dukes of Aquitaine, as well as the vicissitudes of religious monuments through the wars of Religion and architectural revolutions.

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