Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Abbey Saint-Jean de Montierneuf à Poitiers dans la Vienne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Abbaye
Eglise romane et gothique
Vienne

Abbey Saint-Jean de Montierneuf

    Place Montierneuf
    86000 Poitiers
Ownership of the municipality
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Abbaye Saint-Jean de Montierneuf
Crédit photo : Auteur inconnu - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1069
Foundation by Guillaume VIII
1076
Papal authorization
1096
Urban II Consecration
1562
Destruction by the Huguenots
1643-1644
Restoration of the façade
1840
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Eglise de Montierneuf : liste de 1840

Key figures

Guillaume VIII d'Aquitaine - Founder and Duke of Aquitaine Commander of the Abbey in 1069.
Pape Urbain II - Consecrator of the Abbey Inaugurated the church in 1096.
Abbé Sabourin - 19th century restaurant restaurant Directed the work from 1817 to 1822.
Guy de Cluny - First Abbé (circa 1079) Former Grand Priest of Cluny.

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.

External links