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Origin and history

The Priory of Notre-Dame-des-Moutiers, located in Cagny in Calvados, is a former Benedictine monastery dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Its installation is the result of important donations, notably those of Guillaume de Sérans, who was buried there after having entered the orders. According to other sources, Hélie de Cagny founded the priory in 1109, and her final organization took place between 1173 and 1178. The monks, dependent on the Saint Martin Abbey of Troarn, remained there until the 16th century, when the priory became a starting point.

In the 19th century, the buildings, still in good condition, included a Romanesque church and buildings arranged around a courtyard. The chapel, dated the second third of the 12th century, had notable architectural elements such as carved modillons and an archvolt door. However, after the French Revolution, the estate was sold as a national good and fell into ruins, even serving as a stable and stake in the 19th century. Damaged during the Battle of Normandy, it was never restored.

Today, only remains of the church, which has been listed as historical monuments since 1974. The old photographs show a once imposing chapel, but its present state is that of an advanced ruin. The descriptions of Arcisse de Caumont, in the 19th century, remain the main source to imagine its past appearance, with a choir with a straight bedside, a wooden porch and a nave separated from the choir by columns with capitals.

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