Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Priory of Val Saint-Benoît was founded in 1237-1238 by Gaultier, lord of Sully, his wife and their son, who offered this forest valley to the Benedictine monks of the Priory of Val-Croissant. The church was built quickly, and Gaultier was buried there in 1240. His son Hugues, canon of Autun, sculpted a funeral bas-relief in his honour. This priory, the sonage of the abbey of Val-des-Choues (1197), follows the rule of Saint Benedict, each monk cultivating a parcel of land.

In 1359, during the Hundred Years War, the priory suffered damage caused by the English. Despite this ordeal, it flourished until the beginning of the 15th century, when the chapel of the Loges was built, a masterpiece of the flamboyant Gothic. However, the decline began after 1400, accelerated by the commende regime, until it was abolished in 1705. The cloister was destroyed in 1541, and the site, abandoned from the end of the seventeenth century, fell into ruins.

The rebirth of the priory began in the 1970s thanks to the Society of Friends of Arts and History (SAAH) of Autun, led by the Duchess of Magenta (owner) and historian Raymond Oursel. Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the site was restored from 1973, with a jubilee celebrating 40 years of work in 2022. Since 1982, the sisters of Bethlehem and the Assumption of the Virgin have established a monastery, restaurant and living of their religious crafts.

Today, the priory combines medieval heritage and spiritual life. Its church and chapel of the Loges, classified, bear witness to its turbulent history, between seigneurial foundations, wars, monastic decline and contemporary rebirth. The nuns perpetuate a tradition of prayer and manual work, selling statues, icons and faiences to support their needs.

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