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Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Jean-aux-Bois was founded in 1152 by Adelaide de Savoie, widow of Louis VI, to set up a community of Benedictine sisters there under the rule of Cluny. The queen acquired land and the former royal house of Cuise, formerly given to the priory of Béthisy-Saint-Pierre. The construction of the convent buildings began shortly afterwards, but the abbey church was built only between 1220 and 1225, in a sober and elegant primitive Gothic style. The abbey, initially modest, lived thanks to royal gifts and rights of use in the forest of Compiègne, attracting up to 40 nuns and pilgrims thanks to the relics of Saint Euphrosine, stolen in 1152.

In 1634 the nuns left the site for Compiègne, exchanging their monastery with the Augustine canons of Royallieu. The latter, settled in Saint-Jean-aux-Bois, were looted in 1652 by Turenne's troops, accelerating their decline. The priory was abolished in 1761 for economic reasons, and the church became parish. Conventual buildings, sold as national property after 1791, fell into ruins, leaving only the capitular hall, the fortified gate and a few remains. The church, classified in 1862, was restored in the 19th century, preserving its Gothic architecture and 13th century stained glass windows.

The abbey played a local spiritual and economic role, with close ties to the French crown. The kings, like Louis VII or Philippe Auguste, made stays and gifts there, while the nuns managed land and a lucrative pilgrimage. After 1634, the Augustine canons tried to reform the site, but their community, reduced to three members in 1761, did not survive. The village of Saint-Jean-aux-Bois was born around the abbey in the 17th century, when the canons rented houses to the inhabitants to generate income.

The abbey church, of cruciform plan without collaterals, is distinguished by its transept with sexpartite vaults and slender columns. The nave, sober, contrasts with the choir and the crusillons, richly illuminated by lancettes. The capitular hall, prior to the church (XII century), illustrates primitive Gothic with its water-leaved capitals. The exterior remains, such as the fortified 16th century gate and the enclosure walls, recall its defensive past. The stained glass of the choir (c. 1230), classified, depicts the Passion of Christ in grey and polychromy.

Today, the parish church and the capitular hall, open to the public, perpetuate the memory of the two religious communities. The site, a municipal property, combines architectural heritage and preserved forest setting. Masses are celebrated monthly, and the remains, classified as historical monuments (1862 and 1889), attract medieval art lovers. The restoration of the 19th century, though controversial for its additions (like the western rose) saved the building from ruin, while partially erasing its original painted decorations.

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