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Origin and history

Notre-Dame de Grestain Abbey, located in Fatouville-Grestain on the banks of the Seine estuary (Normandie), is founded around 1050 by Herluin de Conteville and his wife Arlette, mother of Guillaume le Conquerant. According to legend, Herluin, suffering from leprosy or spiritual suffering, would have received in dream the order of the Virgin Mary to build an abbey near a miraculous spring. The initial, modest endowment reflects Herluin's low social status at the time, but the ascent of his family, notably thanks to his son Robert de Mortain (half brother of William the Conqueror), allows the abbey to enrich. An 11th century sign, rediscovered in the 20th century, attests to donations in Normandy and England, signed by major figures such as William the Conqueror and Odon de Bayeux.

The abbey, occupied by Benedictines for 710 years, had troubled periods: looted in 1358 by the Anglo-Navarrais, it was almost shaved, and the monks took refuge in Rouen. At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII stayed there during Honfleur's siege. The Conventual character was repealed in 1757, and the buildings were demolished around 1766. Today, there are still remains protected since 1975: the Abbatial house, the enclosure walls, a 13th century gate, and a pillar of the church, where a plaque commemorates the buried founders, including Herluin and Robert de Mortain.

The Abbey of Grestain has three priories, including that of Saint-Nicolas-du-Val-de-Claire in Honfleur, offered by William the Conqueror. His coat of arms, a three-flowered blush of golden lilies, symbolizes his connection to the monarchy. After centuries of decline, the site was restored in the 1960s by Julie and Arnaud Wapler, then opened to the public. Part of his altar was reportedly transferred to the church of Notre-Dame du Val (Saint-Pierre-du-Val). The archives, like the sign studied by David Bates, shed light on his role in Norman history and his ties with the family of the Conqueror.

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