Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Preuilly, founded in 1118 by Étienne Harding, Abbé de Cîteaux, is the fifth abbey-daughter of this order and the first non-primary. It is entrusted to Artaud, disciple of Saint Bernard, accompanied by twelve monks. The construction of the abbey began around 1170 and ended around 1200, thanks to the support of Thibaut IV of Champagne and his mother, Adèle de Blois. The abbey prospers quickly, founding itself the abbeys of Vauluisant (1127) and Barbeau. A royal charter of 1138 and a papal bubble of Adrien IV in 1158 confirm his privileges and possessions.

In the Middle Ages, Preuilly became a powerful estate, with 17 barns and 10 mills in 1318. However, it was looted in the 14th and 15th centuries, then during the Wars of Religion (1567) and the Fronde (1652). In 1686 his property was divided into three lots. During the Revolution, the abbey was dissolved in 1790, its buildings sold as national property and partially demolished. Henri-Marie Husson bought the plots between 1829 and 1842, thus preserving the remains.

Today, the abbey still belongs to the Husson family. The visible ruins include the walls of the church choir, the south transept cruise, and the foundations of the chapter hall. The site, classified as a historical monument since 2004, opens to the public during the Heritage Days and the annual pilgrimage of Notre-Dame du Chêne. A chapel was built around 1860 in the ancient sacristy, and archaeological research is carried out to study the Cistercian economy.

In 2015, a nearby wind project installed a measuring mast visible from the site. The 900 years of the abbey were celebrated in 2018 by a solemn Mass presided over by Bishop Nahmias. The archives and charters, like that of Louis VII (1140) discovered in 2011, enrich the knowledge of his medieval history.

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