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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-du-Trésor Abbey, founded around 1220 by Raoul de Bus in Norman Vexin, is one of the last Cistercian settlements in the region. She was affiliated with Clairvaux and received the support of Blanche de Castille and Saint Louis, who stayed there several times. His abbey church, consecrated in 1232 by Archbishop Maurice de Rouen, was completed before 1250. The abbey, prosperous until the 18th century, hosts up to 79 nuns and 33 abbesses from the aristocracy, such as the Montmorency or Marie Gabrielle Elizabeth de Richelieu.

In the 17th century, the lodge of the Abbess was rebuilt, and in 1735 a monumental gate was erected, bearing witness to its late vitality. However, the Revolution turned the abbey into a national good: part was demolished, the rest converted into a farm. In the 19th century, it was briefly owned by François Robert Drony, Mayor of Gasny. Excavations in 2007 reveal archaeological remains, while protective measures attempt to preserve the ruins, including the southern branch of the transept, the nuns building (60 metres long), and the classified gate.

The abbey has now preserved protected elements since 1989 (logis de l'abbesse, fencing, mill) and 1992 (vestiges of the church, abbey area, pond-reservoir). The site, partially open to the public, offers guest rooms and rentals for events. Its historic hydrographic system, including a masonry pool, recalls its ancient Monacal hydraulic system. The last abbess, Marie-Jeanne Vissec de Ganges, led a community reduced to 21 nuns at the end of the 18th century.

The coat of arms of the abbey, with a golden cross with four bees of the same, symbolizes its past prestige. Despite the revolutionary destructions, the vestiges — such as the capitular hall, the dormitory or the portal dated 1732 — offer an overview of its Cistercian architecture, mixing 13th, 17th and 18th centuries. Its ranking among the Historic Monuments underscores its heritage importance in Normandy.

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