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Origin and history

The Priory of Moreaucourt, sometimes called Moreaucourt or Moriaucourt, was a monastery of nuns dependent on the order of Fontevraud. Situated at the Star in the Somme (formerly Picardie, now Hauts-de-France), it was founded between 1146 and 1165 according to the sources, on land belonging to Aléaume d'Amiens. The exact date remains uncertain in the absence of indisputable contemporary documents. A papal bubble of Alexander III in 1178 confirmed his privileges, and prestigious gifts, such as those of Count Simon de Ponthieu, allowed his expansion, especially in 1228.

The priory suffered multiple destructions (1455, 1475, 1492, 1522, 1595), but was rebuilt each time. In 1636, after suspicious deaths and the threat of Spanish invasions, the nuns definitively left Moreaucourt to settle in Amiens, reusing priory materials to build a new monastery. The site then fell into oblivion until its rediscovery in 1926, when its ruins were classified as historical monuments. Archaeological excavations, carried out between 1968 and 1991, revealed part of its history.

Today, the remains of Moreaucourt are managed by the association Les Amis de Moreaucourt and open to the public under conditions. The site, owned by the Communauté de communes du Val de Nièvre, recalls the importance of casturist priories in the medieval religious landscape of northern France. Its location in the Nièvre Valley, near the Somme, made it a strategic place between Flixecourt and L-Etoile.

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