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Key figures

Origin and history

The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Berteaucourt-les-Dames, founded in the late 11th century (circa 1092-1095), is a former Benedictine abbey. According to tradition, Gauthier de Pontoise, Abbé de Saint-Martin de Pontoise, had a vision of the Virgin asking her to establish a monastery there. He founded a hermitage on the banks of the Nièvre in 1094, attracting pilgrims thanks to a miraculous source (source Saint-Gautier). After his death in 1099, two women, Heleguide (or Elvige) and Godelande, obtained in 1095 the canonical authorization of the bishop of Amiens, Gervin, to formalize the abbey.

In 1108 the second abbess had the privileges of the abbey confirmed by Bishop Godefroy of Amiens. A papal bubble of Alexander III in 1176 validated his possessions and seigneurial rights, including high justice. The abbey prospered until the 16th century, where it was placed under the regime of commende. Henry IV named Angelique d'Estrées, sister of his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées, as an abbess, allowing discreet visits to the king. At its peak, the abbey owned property in about fifty parishes and distributed alms, increasing its local popularity.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: declared a national property in 1791, its property was sold, and much of the buildings destroyed in the 19th century. Today, only the hostellery (the 18th century abbatial logis) remains, classified as a historical monument in 1995 after restoration in 2006-2007. The abbey church, partially demolished, now serves as a parish church. Drawings of the brothers Duthoit (XIXth century), preserved at the museum of Picardie in Amiens, document the remains that have disappeared.

The architecture of the church, built between the late 11th and early 12th centuries, combines Romanesque influences (nef with five spans, semicircular apse) and subsequent changes (clocher of the 13th century, modifications of the 16th and 18th centuries). Classified in 1840, it was restored in the 19th century by Edmond Duthoit, who reconstructed the north side and removed the remains of the transept. The site also retains a wall of enclosure and a source linked to the legend of Gauthier de Pontoise.

The Abbey illustrates the religious and seigneurial history of Picardia, moving from a medieval place of devotion to a political issue under the Old Regime, before becoming a local heritage threatened and then preserved. His hostellerie, an example of classical architecture, and his church, witness to stylistic evolutions, make it a major historical site of the Hauts-de-France.

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