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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The residence of the Benedictines of Argentan is a 17th century building located at 33 rue Saint-Martin, 50 metres south of the Church of Saint-Martin. This abbey house, built in 1623, belonged to the Benedictine priory dependent on the abbey of Almenèches. It was intended to welcome novices before their transfer to Almenèches, as part of the monastic reform. The abbesse Marie-Louise de Médavy supervised the construction and decoration, including the painted ceilings decorated with family coats of arms.

The building, initially rectangular with a perpendicular wing and a central stair tower, has partially disappeared. Today, only half remains, and the stairway tower now forms the corner of the house. The painted ceilings, classified as Historic Monuments in 1932, and the facades/roofs, inscribed in 1982, testify to its rich past. Under the current wallpaper, traces of a painted landscape are still visible.

The priory was built around the former chapel Notre-Dame de la Place. He played a key role in the formation of nuns before their definitive integration in Almenèches, reflecting the tensions between old and new monastic practices of the time.

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