Foundation by Saint Vincent Madelgaire 643 (≈ 643)
Creation of the monastery *Altus Mons* under Dagobert I.
880
Danish Pillage
Danish Pillage 880 (≈ 880)
Partial destruction by Vikings.
1565-1625
Golden age under Gaspard Hanot
Golden age under Gaspard Hanot 1565-1625 (≈ 1595)
Reconstruction and economic growth.
1789
Rescue during the Revolution
Rescue during the Revolution 1789 (≈ 1789)
Dom Ghuislain avoids destruction.
1791
Exile of monks and sale
Exile of monks and sale 1791 (≈ 1791)
Transformation into a factory and brewery.
1992 et 2020
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1992 et 2020 (≈ 2020)
Protection of facades and remains.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs of the entrance building, the abbey palace and the wing in return (former library); floor and basement of the courtyard of the abbey, houses built on the site of the destroyed buildings closing the courtyard, of the square of 8-Mai (location of the abbey church); remains of the mill and its bay in the basement of 20, rue Marcel-Aymé; facades and roofs of the 18th century building separating the square from the 8-May from the Wincart impasse; dependencies of the Fountain Sainte-Aldegonde: portal, facades and roofs of buildings on either side of the gate (see AO 686, 691 to 697, 699, 703, 763, 791, 792, 823, 846, 847, 849, 850, 893 to 895, 910, 983, 984): inscription by order of 16 June 1992; The facades and roofs not protected by measures of inscription of 16 June 1992 of the buildings of the Fountain Sainte-Aldegonde and the entrance wing, the facades and roofs of the west wing in whole, in order to preserve the original quadrilateral of the court (by supporting the delimitation of the courtyard side on the remaining elements of the eighteenth century facade), the ensemble located place of the General-de-Gaulle and 2 to 20 rue Marcel-Aymé on the plots n°9 to 12, 17, 18, 20, 25, 26 and 33 section BH: inscription by order of 30 November 2020
Key figures
Saint Vincent Madelgaire (Madelgaire) - Founder and Count of Hainaut
Former ambassador of Dagobert I.
Sainte Waudru - Wife of Madelgaire
Founder of Mons Monastery.
Gaspard Hanot - Abbé (16th-17th centuries)
Modernize the abbey and repatriate the relics.
Dom Ghuislain Dusart - Saviour monk in 1789
Negotiate with the revolted peasants.
Ansbert de Rouen - Exile bishop
Murdered at the Abbey in 695.
Jean Brisselot - Abbot and confessor
Counsellor to Charles Quint.
Origin and history
The Benedictine abbey of Hautmont, founded in 643 by Saint Vincent Madelgaire (or Maldegaire), Count of Hainaut and Ambassador of King Dagobert I, implanted on a site called Altus Mons ("High Mount"). This monastery, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, initially welcomed Irish monks and became one of the largest Merovingian abbeys, housing up to 300 members. Madelgaire, after marrying Saint Waudru, devoted herself to monastic life with her, thus founding two religious communities: Hautmont for men and Mons (Belgium) for women. The abbey receives prestigious relics, such as those of Pope Saint Marcel, and welcomes figures such as Saint Ansbert, bishop of Rouen exiled by Pépin de Herstal.
In the 9th century, the abbey was looted, notably by the Danes in 880, after being integrated into the Carolingian Empire under Lothary I. Rebuilt several times, it had a golden age between 1565 and 1625 under Gaspard Hanot's abbatiate, which modernized the buildings and installed a brewery there. In 1589, Hanot repatriated the relics of St Marcel, previously sheltered in Mons. The abbey, prosperous with 40% of local land and 25 farms, survived the French Revolution thanks to the intervention of Dom Ghuislain Dusart, who avoided its destruction in 1789 by negotiating with the revolted peasants.
After 1791, the monks were exiled and the buildings transformed into factories (glass, brasserie) or houses. In the 18th century, the abbey was completely rebuilt: the abbey palace around 1700, the east wing (library and refectory) around 1720, and the west wing around 1750. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1992, and extended in 2020, it preserves remains such as the honour gate, ground ceilings and a vaulted gallery. Today, its buildings, partly private, bear witness to its religious, economic and architectural past, although its church and cloister disappeared between 1791 and 1811.
The Hautmont Abbey played a central role in the region, combining spiritual power (reception of pilgrims, relics), political influence (links with the Merovingian and Carolingian kings) and economic prosperity (land, mills, brewery). Its three-pole organization — civil (court of honour), religious (church and cloister), and economic (bass-cour) — reflected almost feudal autonomy. The monks also developed intellectual activities, such as a school founded in 829, and craft productions (savon, beer), making Hautmont a local engine until the Revolution.
Among the notable characters, Saint Vincent Madelgaire, founder and former Count, embodies the transition between secular nobility and monastic life. Gaspard Hanot (XVIth-17th centuries) re-dynamized the abbey, while Dom Ghuislain Dusart (1723–?) saved it from destruction in 1789. Other figures, such as Bishop Ansbert de Rouen or Father Jean Brisselot (confessor of Charles Quint), illustrate his influence. The current, though fragmentary, remains offer an overview of its classical architecture and its adaptation to post-revolutionary industrial uses.
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