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Origin and history

Notre-Dame de Bellevaux Abbey, founded in 1119 by Pons I of La Roche and Étienne de Traves, is the first Cistercian abbey of Franche-Comté and a daughter of Morimond. His church, dedicated to Notre-Dame, was consecrated in 1143. The abbey became a major spiritual centre thanks to the relics of Peter II of Tarentaise, canonized in 1191, attracting pilgrims and burials of noble locals, including the Sires de La Roche and three archbishops of Besançon.

In the Middle Ages, Bellevaux played a key role in Cistercian swarming, founding abbeys such as Lucelle (1124), Monsteron (1130), Rosières (1132), and even Daphni in Greece (1211). Its decline began in the 14th century, with a decline in monastic numbers and financial difficulties. The beginning, established in 1551, aggravates its situation, despite an ephemeral recovery in the 18th century under Abbé Louis-Albert de Lezay-Marnésia, who modernized the buildings.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the abbey was sold as a national good in 1791, then bought in 1817 by Trappist monks, who left it in 1830 in the face of local hostility. It became private property in 1837 and was partially destroyed and then classified as a Historic Monument in 1946. Today, its remains, including the 18th century convent building and its hydraulic network, bear witness to its prestigious past.

Bellevaux's architecture reflects its evolution: the poorly documented Romanesque church was demolished after the Revolution, while the cloister and the convent buildings, rebuilt in 1786–88, incorporated medieval elements. The site, classified for its picturesque character in 1951, also preserves traces of its hydraulic system, fed by a well known miraculous until the nineteenth century.

Economically, the abbey relied on four barns as early as 1139, then eight in 1178, such as those of Cirey or Valleroy, contributing to the clearing of the area. His income also came from the salines of Lons-le-Saunier and Salins-les-Bains, as well as from rents. Despite its decline, Bellevaux remains a symbol of Cistercian influence in Europe and of franc-comtoise monastic history.

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