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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Priory of Villesalem, founded in the early twelfth century, is a former priory of the order of Fontevraud located in Journet (Vienna). It was established in 1109 on a site originally given to hermits by Audebert, seigneur of La Tremeille, before being assigned to Robert d'Arbrissel, founder of Fontevraud. The Notre-Dame de la Paix church, built between 1130 and 1140, adopts a typical poitevin plan with a triple-ship nave and a harmonious bedside. The priory, mixed, welcomed monks and nuns under the authority of a woman, in accordance with the rule of casturists.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, seigneurial donations enriched the priory, allowing the building of the church and its outbuildings. The Hundred Years' War ravaged the site: in 1369, John Chandos looted Villesalem, damaging the church and pushing the monks to abandon it at the end of the 15th century. In the seventeenth century, despite a fire in 1612, the priory was reborn as a nuns convent. The built convent buildings partially mask the western facade of the church, now unobstructed after restorations.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the nuns, still sixteen in 1790, were expelled, and the priory, sold as a national good in 1791, became a farm. The church, transformed into a stable, suffers major degradations (closing, opening the bedside for carts). Ranked a historic monument in 1914 and bought by the state in 1962, the site is restored to its fascist novel. Since 1961, the Association des Amis de Villesalem has hosted the venue with visits and a summer festival.

The architecture of the church, in the medium calcareous apparatus, is distinguished by its nave with narrow sides, its salient transept and its bedside in the hemicycle. The Romanesque sculpture, abundant on the outside, combines plant motifs, real or fantastic animals (griffons, sirens) and human figures, without clear iconographic program. The northern portal, known as "Kings", and the western, tripartite façade illustrate this decorative abundance. Inside, the counting dominates, except for a few capitals decorated with foliage and masks.

Conventual buildings reflect two distinct periods. The women's one, built in 1642 after the reform of the order, adopts a classic style with individual cells and guest room, respecting the monastic fence. That of the men, dating back to the 15th century, housed the Augustine monks in charge of agricultural work and worship, under the authority of the Abbess. These buildings, partially preserved, bear witness to the community life and strict rules of the order of Fontevraud.

Ranked a historic monument in 1914 for the church and in 1995 for the convent building, Villesalem is today a major cultural site. The restorations have made it possible to find the original novel volumes, while the local association perpetuates its memory through events such as the Nuits Romanes. The priory thus embodies a religious, architectural and historical heritage, a symbol of medieval spirituality and its resilience.

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