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Origin and history

The abbey Saint-Jean-des-Vignes, founded in 1076 by Hugues le Blanc on the hill Saint-Jean in Soissons, was an Augustine monastery dedicated to Saint John. Hugues, the local lord, restored five parishes and two mills for its creation, confirmed by King Philip I. A community of johanist canonists settled, according to the rule of St Augustine, with up to 90 monks, conversants and seamstresses. The Abbey became a medical center renowned for its plants, explaining its rich floral decoration.

The current constructions began at the end of the 13th century (cell, gates, refectory), while the nave and towers were completed in the 14th to 16th centuries. The abbey, surrounded by an enclosure, housed 150 monks and managed 30 farms, becoming a large landowner. It received royal and seigneurial gifts, but the Hundred Years War (14th century) imposed the construction of ramparts. In 1414 Charles VI established his headquarters there during the siege of Soissons.

The peak came in the 15th to 16th centuries with the completion of the towers (1488–1520) and the consecration of the abbey in 1478. In 1544 Charles Quint prepared the treaty of Crépy. From 1566 on the monastery was negligated by the merchant abbots appointed by the king. In 1567, the Huguenots of the prince of Condé looted her, destroying archives, silverware and stained glass. The French Revolution expelled the remaining 72 monks in 1792, and the abbey was transformed into military handling.

In the 19th century, despite local protests, the church was partially destroyed (1809) to sell its stones. Only the towers, classified as a historical monument in 1875, survived. Today, the remains belong to the City of Soissons, which has led since 2016 a campaign to restore the towers, supported by public funds and patronage.

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