Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Priory Saint-Gabriel, founded around 1058 by Richard de Creully during the reign of William the Conqueror, is part of a desire to pacify Normandy after the battle of Val-ès-Dunes (1047). This Benedictine monastery, affiliated with the Abbey of Fécamp, is endowed with land, mills and fisheries thanks to important donations, including 312 pounds and animals. The founding charter, signed by 40 personalities including Duke Guillaume and Duke Mathilde, devotes its religious and economic role to the region.

The Prioral Church, built around 1140 in Norman Romanesque style, is consecrated in 1228 with the village church dedicated to St Thomas Becket. The bedside, the only vestige after the destruction of the nave in 1750, illustrates an elegant architecture with quadripartite vaults and historic capitals. The Priory, at its peak in the 13th century, houses about fifteen monks and exercises seigneurial justice, including a right to life or death.

The Hundred Years War damaged the site, repaired under Henry V of England. In the 15th century, monks adopted a less communal life, living in separate homes while maintaining the offices. The Reformation and commende transformed the priory in 1674: the monks returned to Fecamp, and the land was managed by a farmer. At the time of the Revolution, the site became a farm, then the state classed the church as a historic monument in 1840.

In 1914, Emmanuel Fauchier Delavigne acquired the priory and founded in 1929 the first private horticultural learning centre in France. Released in 1944 during the Disembarkation, it houses Sudanese refugees before closing in 2018. Since then, the site is preparing to host a third place. The chapel, which was transferred to the Calvados department in 2008, is animated by a cultural association created in 2003.

The buildings preserved include the 13th century gate tower, flat foothills and ogival vaults, as well as a 14th-15th century square dungeon serving as a prison and court. The prioral mansion, with its Renaissance capitular hall and vaulted cellar, bears witness to architectural developments. The dovecote has disappeared, but graffiti and sculptures, like the head of birds on the north side, remain.

The Priory Saint-Gabriel, ranked among the first historical monuments in 1840, now embodies a religious, agricultural and educational heritage. Its association organizes summer exhibitions, and the site integrates the Historical Route of Norman Abbeys, highlighting its importance in regional history.

Future

In March 1914, Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Fauchier Delavigne bought the priory. After extensive work, they opened the first private horticultural learning centre in 1929.

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