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Origin and history

The Petit-Lieu Abbey, also known as Lieu-Notre-Dame, is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1150 as an outbuilding of Sainte-Catherine du Mont, near Annecy. Initially simple priory under the tutelage of the Abbey of Aulps, it became an autonomous abbey at the end of the Middle Ages, welcoming nuns often from the Savoyard nobility. The site, located in Perrignier en Haute-Savoie, benefits from the support of the Counts of Savoie, in particular Amédée VIII and Marie de Bourgogne, who finance works.

In the 15th century, the abbey experienced a decline marked by a relaxation of the monastic rule, criticized by the Duchess Yolande. In 1443, she passed under the tutelage of the Abbey of Tamié, known for her strict observance. The occupation of Chablais by the Bernese in 1536 led to the looting of the abbey, followed by its final closure in 1538 under pressure from Protestant troops. The nuns then left the place, and the estate was sold to a Protestant Genevan family.

After the Reformation, the estate was bought in the 17th century by Ferdinand Bouvier d'Yvoire, deputy governor of the Allinges, who turned it into a farm. The church, the only surviving building, dates from the 12th century with reshuffles in the 13th and 15th centuries. It was partially destroyed during the construction of the "Tonkin" railway line in the 19th century. Today, the site, classified as Historic Monument in 2022, preserves remains of the church, the dormitory of nuns and the capitular hall.

The abbey was the daughter of Sainte-Catherine du Mont and originally depended on the abbey of Aulps. Its architecture reflects its turbulent history: a unique nave enhanced, a quadrilobed rose on the western facade, and traces of arches in a dogive cross. The choir and bell tower, destroyed in 1536, have disappeared, while convent buildings, such as dormitories and the capitular hall, remain in the state of ruins or transformed.

The site, located 600 metres northeast of Perrignier, near Lake Geneva, illustrates the religious and political history of Chablais. After its closure, it becomes an agricultural estate before being partially preserved. Recent excavations and protections (2022) aim to safeguard this medieval heritage marked by religious conflicts and agricultural transformations.

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