Foundation of the Priory XIIIe siècle (≈ 1350)
Initial construction of the medieval priory.
XVIe siècle
Major renovations
Major renovations XVIe siècle (≈ 1650)
Period of architectural overhaul.
XVIIe siècle
Priory Starter
Priory Starter XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
Transfer under commercial administration.
1791
Sale as a national good
Sale as a national good 1791 (≈ 1791)
Confiscation and revolutionary sale.
1865
Dion Adolphe Surveys
Dion Adolphe Surveys 1865 (≈ 1865)
Documentation before partial demolition.
1897
Restoration by W. Klein
Restoration by W. Klein 1897 (≈ 1897)
Conservation work by the architect.
1927
First MH protection
First MH protection 1927 (≈ 1927)
Registration of the housing body.
2008
Second MH protection
Second MH protection 2008 (≈ 2008)
Extension to church and outbuildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The main house and the 13th century farm building: inscription by decree of 28 June 1927 - The gatekeeper's house at the entrance, facades and roofs, the entire buildings on both sides of the 13th century barn (ISMH in 1927), the entire shed, the fence walls, the large courtyard and the small courtyard, the orchard and the vegetable garden, the masonate spring located in the old garden below the barn, the church in its entirety, and the walled cemetery (cf. A 538, 540 to 542, 546, 547): registration by order of 25 January 2008
Key figures
Adolphe de Dion - Historian and archaeologist
Conducted surveys in 1865.
W. Klein - Architect and owner
The restoration began in 1897.
Origin and history
The Priory of Saint-Thomas, located in the eponymous village of the department of Aisne (Hauts-de-France), is a religious building dating back to the 13th and 16th centuries. Its buildings, which had been rebuilt several times, especially in the 18th century, once housed a monastic community. The site covered about 10 hectares, including gardens, lands, parks and water rooms, reflecting the economic and spiritual importance of medieval priories in the countryside.
In the 17th century, the priory fell as a beginning, a system in which the incomes of an abbey or priory were attributed to a commendate abbot or prior, often absent, marking a decline in his initial religious vocation. In 1791, in the context of the French Revolution, the priory was sold as a national good, before undergoing partial demolitions in the 19th century. In 1865 Adolphe de Dion made descriptive surveys of the buildings, while in 1897 architect W. Klein, then owner, undertook a restoration. Today, only the façade of the ancient church of the Trinity of Seincourt remains, classified as historical monuments.
The monument is subject to two successive protections: a first inscription in 1927 for the main house body and 13th century outbuildings, followed by a second in 2008 covering the church, courtyards, fence walls and other elements of the estate. The lacunae murals discovered in the Romanesque church testify to its rich artistic past. Although partially destroyed, the priory illustrates the architectural and social evolution of rural religious establishments, between medieval prosperity and post-revolutionary decline.
