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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Winoc Abbey, founded in the 7th century by St. Winoc on land donated by Heremard near Wormhout, was destroyed by Viking raids. Refounded around 900 by Baudouin II of Flanders in Bergues, it became a rich and influential Benedictine monastery in the 11th century, linked to the order of Saint-Benoît and the diocese of Ypres. His relics, including those of Saint Winoc, were transferred there, and the abbey received donations from the Counts of Flanders, such as Baudouin IV in 1022.

Over the centuries, the abbey experienced several fires (1083, 1125, 1558) and reconstructions, notably thanks to the help of the abbey of Saint-Bertin and the Counts of Flanders. It accumulated territorial possessions and privileges, becoming a major religious and economic centre. In 1383 it was looted during the crusade against the antipape Clement VII, then restored by Philippe le Hardi, Duke of Burgundy. Despite the destruction, it retained its prestige until the French Revolution.

The Revolution marked the end of the abbey: its goods were sold in 1790, its shawl destroyed, and its buildings shaved in 1793, with the exception of two towers preserved as bitter for the sailors. The Carrea Tower, a 12th century vestige, and the polygonal tower (rebuilt in 1813) were classified as Historic Monuments in 1926 and 1946. Today, these ruins recall its glorious past and its role in Flemish history.

Saint Winoc, a central figure, was a Breton monk who came to evangelize the region in the 7th century. According to legend, he retired to the "Groenberg" (present-day Bergues) with companions, founding a monastery destroyed by the Normans. His relics, transferred to Bergues in the 10th century, made the abbey a place of pilgrimage. Other saints, such as Oswald and Levina, were also venerated, strengthening its spiritual influence.

The abbey maintained close ties with the Counts of Flanders, who granted him land, tithes and privileges (justice, tax exemption). Baudouin V of Flanders, in 1067, granted him property to Zuydcoote and seigneurial rights. Later, Philippe d'Alsace (1183) and Louis de Male (14th century) confirmed its advantages. These protections allowed its expansion, despite conflicts and looting (wars of Religion, French invasions).

Architecturally, the abbey combined limestone and brick, with a three-vessel church and an ogival choir built in the 13th century. The two surviving towers — the Blue Tower (XII-14th centuries) in sandstone and brick, and the polygonal tower (rebuilt in 1813) — illustrate its stylistic evolution. The revolutionary destruction erased most of its treasures: a 480-page library, gold liturgical objects, and paintings, now gone.

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