Gift of the altar XIe siècle (≈ 1150)
The bishop Elinand gave the altar to Saint John of the Bourg.
1298
Sale in Saint-Crépin-en-Chaye
Sale in Saint-Crépin-en-Chaye 1298 (≈ 1298)
The priory passes to the Canons of Soissons.
1927
First protection
First protection 1927 (≈ 1927)
Registration of remains (gate, chapel, buildings).
2002
Extension of protection
Extension of protection 2002 (≈ 2002)
Classification of the entire fortified site.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The remains of the priory including the entrance door, the adjoining buildings and the old chapel: inscription by order of 24 October 1927 - The whole site of the priory in its entirety, its fortified whole with its ditches and banks, as well as all the buildings of the priory which it houses (except those already registered) (Box AI 130 to 132): inscription by decree of 2 April 2002
Key figures
Elinand - Bishop of Laon
Altar donor in the 11th century.
Seigneurs de Coucy - Site controllers
Masters of the fortified priory in the 13th century.
Origin and history
The Priory of Saint-Lambert, located in Fourdrain in the department of Aisne, is a religious monument dating mainly from the thirteenth century. It is a medieval fortified site, controlled at the time by the lords of Coucy. This priory, built on a feudal motte surrounded by still visible ditches, combines two types of architecture: defensive elements (doorway, towers, vestiges of walls) and religious buildings, including a chapel and a prioral home. The ensemble illustrates the integration of a religious establishment into a local defence system, typical of the seigneurial structures of the time.
The history of the priory dates back at least to the eleventh century, when the altar of Saint-Lambert was given by the bishop of Laon, Elinand, to the regular chapter of Saint-Jean-du-Bourg. Over the centuries, the priory changed his hands: first rented to clergymen, it was finally sold in 1298 to Saint-Crépin-en-Chaye Abbey of Soissons, a community of regular canons of St Augustine. This priory remained dependent on this abbey until the French Revolution. The site is partially protected as historical monuments, with a first inscription in 1927 covering the remains of the priory (door, contiguous buildings, chapel), followed by an extension in 2002 for the entire fortified site, including ditches, banks and other buildings.
Architecturally, the priory of Saint-Lambert reflects a dual vocation: religious and defensive. The presence of a large water ditch, enclosure and towers recalls its strategic role in the network of medieval fortifications in the region. The Prioral Chapel, adjacent to the monks' house, bears witness to the monastic life and the farming of the estate by the religious. This site, although partially in ruins, offers a remarkable example of the alliance between seigneurial power and religious institution in the Middle Ages in the Hauts-de-France.
