Foundation of the Priory XIIe siècle (≈ 1250)
Creation by the order of Fontevraud.
7 janvier 1568
Protestant fire
Protestant fire 7 janvier 1568 (≈ 1568)
Destruction after the Battle of Cognat.
1793
Sale as a national good
Sale as a national good 1793 (≈ 1793)
Guillotine of nuns and loss of a wing.
1825
Purchase by current family
Purchase by current family 1825 (≈ 1825)
Start of private preservation.
9 avril 2001
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 9 avril 2001 (≈ 2001)
Protection of the abbatial assembly.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The abbey in its entirety (church, convent buildings, gate) including the right-of-way to the ground and interior decorations (cells, woodwork) (Box ZO 1-7): inscription by order of 9 April 2001
Key figures
Mathilde (ou Mahaud) de Bourbon - Prioress and widow of Archambault VII
Burled with papal honors.
Archambault VII - Lord of Bourbon
Matilde's husband died before 1171.
Monsieur Cariol - Revolutionary buyer (1793)
Destroyed a wing of the cloister.
Origin and history
The Abbey of Pont-Ratier is a former priory of the order of Fontevraud, founded in the 12th century in the commune of Charmes (Allier). This type of foundation, rare in Auvergne, was marked by the presence of Mathilde de Bourbon, wife of Archambault VII, who took the veil there after his widowhood and became his prioress. His burial, in the presence of three bishops and a papal legate, underlines the religious importance of the place at that time. The priory was a place of spiritual and aristocratic power, linked to the seigneurial family of Bourbon.
In the 16th century, the priory suffered violence during the Wars of Religion: it was burned by Protestants in 1568, after the Battle of Cognat. The destruction continued during the French Revolution, when the nuns refused to leave the place (1793). The site, sold as a national property, lost some of its buildings, including a wing of the cloister. In the 19th century, agricultural transformations (granges, stables) further altered its structure, despite its acquisition in 1825 by a family still in ownership today.
The abbey retains remarkable architectural elements, such as a monumental 16th-century portal and a 18th-century convent wing. Ranked a Historic Monument in 2001, it is now a closed courtyard on three sides, the wing has disappeared. Its history reflects the religious, political and social upheavals of the Allier, between the Middle Ages and the contemporary era.
