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Origin and history

The Abbey of Saint Sulpice, founded in the 12th century, is a former Cistercian abbey located in Thézillieu (Ain). Born by a clunisian priory founded by the monk Humbert, she became a member of the Cistercian order in 1130 under the impulse of Count Amédée III of Savoy, who granted him land. This isolated site, originally named Saint-Sulpice-le-Vieux, becomes an influential monastery, founding abbey-daughters like Chassagne (1162) and developing economic activities (wine, ponds, haras).

The abbey has reached its peak between the 12th and 15th centuries, structuring the local territory with the creation of villages (Hostiaz, Premillieu) and the exploitation of resources (glass, tile, mills). In the 18th century, its buildings were renovated, and the astronomer Brillat-Savarin stayed there around 1782, renting his kitchen. Sold as a national good during the Revolution, it was partially dismantled as a stone quarry. Archaeological excavations (1968–1980) revealed his plan: 50 m abbey church, cloisters, refectory, and monk cemetery.

Today in ruins, the abbey has preserved protected remains since 1994: two churches (a Romanesque modified in the 16th century, a Gothic of the 12th), claustral buildings, and a post-medieval abbey. The site bears witness to Cistercian architecture, with a square apse flanked by pentagonal chapels, and a small late cloister. Genevray ponds (1234) and barns recall its economic role. A chapel dedicated to Saint Vital, transformed into an exhibition space, presents the excavations.

The Abbey of Saint Sulpice, daughter of Pontigny, will swarm in Europe (Falleri in Tuscany, San Martino al Cimino near Rome). His decline began with the Revolution, but his legacy persisted through his possessions (the castle of Machurat, the house of Longecombe) and his influence on the Bugey. The remains, inscribed in the Historical Monuments, offer an overview of medieval monastic life and its adaptation to the following centuries.

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