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Origin and history

The Priory of Saint-Arnoult, located in the Oise (Hauts-de-France), is a former Benedictine priory founded between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It depended successively on the abbeys of Saint-Germer-de-Fly and Beaubec in Normandy. Its rare architecture, made of wood and torchi with a double corbellation, as well as its carved decoration (roses, shells, animals), make it an exceptional testimony of late medieval art. The site, partially listed with historical monuments in 1988, also retains traces of its role in the cult of Saint Arnoult, linked to the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela.

The origins of the priory date back to the 11th century, with the propagation of the cult of Saint Arnoult (Bishop of Tours) in Clermont County. The site, originally owned by the Abbey of Saint-Germer-de-Fly, became a place of devotion thanks to its relics. In the 18th century, a plan of 1751 attested to its attachment to the abbey of Beaubec, whose monks exploited the surrounding lands. The priory, transformed into a farm after the Revolution, escaped destruction despite a fire in 1972, before being restored by its current owners since 1982.

The architecture of the house, with its carved sandstones and oak frame, reflects the post-war prosperity of One Hundred Years. The symbolic motifs (scallop shells, peacocks, snakes) evoke medieval pilgrimages, while the 18th century additions illustrate an evolution towards a more rustic construction. The priory, now open to the visit, combines religious heritage and agricultural history, testifying to the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

The site is also marked by figures such as Guibert de Nogent, monk of Saint-Germer-de-Fly, who helped spread the cult of Saint Arnoult in Beauvais. In the 19th century, the priory belonged to the Ferrand and Lenoir families, before being acquired in 1982 by the Alglave, who undertook its restoration. Its inscription in historical monuments covers facades, roofs and two 15th century chimneys, highlighting its heritage value.

The priory is part of a network of places of worship linked to Santiago de Compostela, via the Via Turonensis. His position on the Boulogne–Chartres axis made it a stage for pilgrims going to Tours, where the tomb of St Martin also attracted the faithful. The shells carved on its façade recall this link with the jacquarian roads, while its history reflects the exchanges between Normandy, Picardie and Île-de-France in the 11th–12th centuries.

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