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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, founded in the fourth century by the hermit Florent d'Anjou on Mount Ghanne, becomes a Benedictine monastery under Charlemagne. The latter gives it a remarkable architecture and a relic called the Holy Grail. In the ninth century, Viking invasions partially destroyed the abbey, forcing the monks to flee with their relics. Rebuilt thanks to Charles le Chauve and Nominoë, it was transformed into a priory after the foundation of Saint-Florent-de-Saumur. Foulques Nerra and Geoffroy Martel strengthened their defences in the 11th century, while a new abbey was built in the 14th century.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the abbey passed under the control of the Maurists, who rebuilt it according to principles of sobriety and solidity after the damage of the wars of Religion. During the Revolution, it served as a prison during the Salesian conflicts, including 5,000 Republican prisoners pardoned by Charles de Bonchamps in 1793. After the Revolution, the monastery was sold and partially dismantled. In 1890, architect Alfred Tessier restored the former choir on two levels. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1974, the abbey is today a cultural space, while its church remains a place of worship.

The site preserves medieval and Maurist remains, including vaulted basements, a capitular room, and monastic cells. The tomb of Bonchamps, carved by David d'Angers in 1825, recalls the Vendean history of the place. The abbey thus illustrates almost fifteen centuries of religious, military and architectural history, from merovingians to the contemporary period.

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