First MH protection 1926 (≈ 1926)
Additional inventory.
2013
Catering price
Catering price 2013 (≈ 2013)
Finalist and winner for the chapel.
2 novembre 2020
Extended protection
Extended protection 2 novembre 2020 (≈ 2020)
Complete priory classification
2020
Extension of protection
Extension of protection 2020 (≈ 2020)
Classification of the whole priory.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
fin XXe siècle
Major restoration
Major restoration fin XXe siècle (≈ 2095)
Rediscovered historical elements.
Heritage classified
All the buildings of the priory of Moullins, in total, that is, the house, the chapel, the old large seigneurial hall, the communes with their murals dating from the end of the Second World War, the fence wall, the two wells, and the remains of the pigeon tree, as delimited by a red line and a full/flat on the plan annexed to the decree, and appearing in the cadastre section ZY, plot n°12: inscription by decree of November 2, 2020
Key figures
Gauzbert - Abbé de la Couture
Founded the priory in 995.
Henri V - King of England
Responsible for looting in 1417.
Guillaume Regnault - Sculptor
Author of the altarpiece (1527).
Philippe Favre - History
Site architecture studies
Origin and history
The home of Moullins came into being in 995 with the arrival of eleven monks and a prioress sent by Abbé Gauzbert from the abbey of Saint-Pierre de la Couture. These religious founded a priory whose development culminated between 1300 and 1340 with the construction of a large nave-and-slope hall. The whole was ravaged in 1417 by Henri V's troops during the Hundred Years' War, ending its medieval boom.
At the end of the 15th century, the site reborn with the construction of a seigneurial house and a chapel of Sainte-Catherine, dated precisely from 1514 by dendrochronology. The house, built at the beginning of the 16th century, has defensive features (murder, steeples) and a flamboyant Gothic style marked by adorned skylights and chimeras. The chapel, enlarged in 1544, housed a altarpiece by Guillaume Regnault (circa 1527), now destroyed but partially found in recent restorations.
The French Revolution splits the estate and degrades the buildings: the vaults of the chapel are cut down, its bays blocked, and the altarpiece destroyed. The remains are reused in later constructions. It was not until the end of the 20th century that owners undertook a major restoration, revealing major architectural elements such as the arch keys or fragments of the altarpiece. In 1926, the house was added to the additional inventory of Historic Monuments, before protection extended to the entire priory was formalized in 2020.
The architecture of the site illustrates several epochs: the large medieval room (19 m side), with today's restored radiant Gothic bays, contrasts with the Renaissance home with defensive devices. The chapel of Sainte-Catherine, despite the revolutionary destructions, retains an original structure and reconstituted foothills. This restoration work was rewarded in 2013 with the great trophy of the most beautiful restoration (finalist) and the Gilles Etrillard Prize for the chapel.
Recent excavations and studies, such as those of Philippe Favre, have made it possible to clarify the chronology of constructions and to highlight unique elements, such as the murals of communes dating from the end of the Second World War or the two wells and remains of the pigeon tree protected since 2020. The site, now open to the visit, bears witness to nearly a millennium of history, from the monks of the 10th century to the contemporary owners.
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