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Origin and history

The abbey of Fontguilhem is a former Cistercian Catholic abbey founded in 1124 near a spring called the fountain of Guillaume, in the current territory of Masseilles, Gironde. It was first placed under the protection of the kings of England in the 12th and 13th centuries, and then received the support of Pope Clement V at the beginning of the 14th century, who granted indulgences in 1309 to finance the construction of a new church and cloister. The abbey, daughter of Cadouin and affiliated with the order of Cîteaux, underwent major changes in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in its abbey palace.

In 1768 the abbey had only two religious, a sign of its decline. Sold as a national property in 1793 after the Revolution, its buildings were partly transformed: the Abbatial Palace became a private residence, while other parts, such as the sacristy, were converted into a farm. The church, on the other hand, was used to build the neighbouring village of Grignols. The most prominent medieval remains, such as a vaulted room in a cradle, remain in the northeast building, while the aisles of the estate probably date back to the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Ranked a historic monument in 1993, the abbey now retains two distinct architectural ensembles: the Abbatial Palace, with its wrought iron gate attributed to Blaise Charlus and Louis XVI interior decorations, and the medieval remains of the northeast building. The site also includes protected elements such as the original fountain, the courtyard well, and aisles lined with terminals. Its history reflects the political and religious evolutions of the region, from its medieval foundation to its post-revolutionary transformation.

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