Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-Louis de La Saussaye, located in La Saussaye, Normandy, was founded in 1317 by Guillaume d'Harcourt, Baron of Elbeuf and local lord, and his wife Blanche d'Avaugour. Built between 1307 and 1317, it replaced a ruined chapel and was dedicated to Saint Louis. This monument housed a canonial chapter of 13 canons (then 12 after 1550), charged with praying and celebrating worship in exchange for the income of the foundation.

The college was the seat of a family burial for the Counts, then the Dukes of Elbeuf, its founders. Desecrated in 1793 during the Revolution, she lost her canonial status and her property was confiscated. Closed during the Terror, it became a parish church after the concordat of 1801. Two fires, in 1558 and 1875, destroyed much of the building, leaving only the walls. Today, it houses a Museum of the Charitons and remains a testimony of medieval religious architecture.

Guillaume d'Harcourt, son of John I of Harcourt, was a close friend of King Philip the Bel, serving as royal councillor, hotel master and grand-queux of France. The college reflects its influence and commitment to local religious life. After the fires, successive reconstructions preserved its cultural and heritage role, despite historical upheavals. The Charitons Brotherhood, linked to the building, also illustrates its anchoring in local traditions.

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