Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Jovilliers was founded in 1132 by Geoffroy III, Sénéchal de Champagne and Sire de Joinville, who offered Jovilaris' farm to Father Herbert de Rieval to establish a monastery there. Confirmed in 1141 by Henri de Lorraine, bishop of Toul, its construction began in 1142. The pre-monstrated canons developed an abbey church dedicated to Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, also serving as a parish for local farmers.

In the 16th century, the abbey suffered severe destruction: the nave and part of the convent were burned by the Huguenots in 1592, and again ravaged in 1611. Despite attempts at restoration, the damage persisted until the 18th century, when Claude Collin, the last regular abbot, undertook a major reconstruction between 1731 and 1743, with the support of the premonstrates of Pont-à-Mousson and Jeand-Heurs.

At the time of the Revolution, the abbey was sold as a national property and converted into agricultural holdings, a current practice. In the 19th century, the nave was destroyed and buildings looted, leaving only remains classified as historic monument in 1995. Today the commons of the eighteenth century, the cloister, and the facade of the abbey, marked by two square towers and an unfinished hemicycle portal, remain.

The materials used for reconstruction come from Savonnières-en-Perthois, giving the buildings a sober classic style. The site, though partially in ruins, bears witness to the religious architecture of Lorraine and the turbulent history of pre-showed orders in the region. The fence walls, the garden, and the floors have been protected since 1995.

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