Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Jacut found its origins in the fifth century, when two Welsh brothers, Jacut and Guethenoc, disciples of Budoc, founded a hermitage on the peninsula of Landoac. This monastery first adopts the austere rule of St.Columban, typical of the Celtic monasteries. The transition to the Benedictine rule, imposed by the decree of 818, met with resistance and perhaps only applied after the exile of the monks.

In the 9th century, Norman raids forced the monks to flee, taking away relics and archives. The abbey, sacked in 878, remains in ruins until its restoration in 1008 by Abbé Hinguethen, commissioned by Alain III. The 14th and 15th centuries marked its peak: the building of the abbey church, the foundation of the bell, and the extension of possessions to England. The monks develop agriculture, care for the sick, and welcome the poor.

The decadence began at the end of the 15th century with the arrival of merchant abbots. In 1789, only four religious remained. The abbey, sold as a national property, is dismantled stone by stone. His archives disappear, and his history is reconstructed late by writers. No physical traces of the original building remain.

In 1875, the sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Saint-Méen bought the site to establish a free school. They also welcome summerers, laying the foundations for a "family pension". In the 20th century, the abbey became a centre of spiritual retreats and formations, welcoming in 1964 Father Lebret, author of a founding text for the encyclical Populorum Progressio. Today, the place combines spiritual reception and professional seminars.

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