Mortemer Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the Forest of Lyons between the present Lyons-la-Forêt

Lyons-la-Forêt

Lyons-la-Forêt is a commune in the Eure department in Haute Normandie in northern France.Because of its architecture which has been maintained as it was at the beginning of the 17th century, it is also a well-known landmark within the very distinct geophysical and geocultural entity that is the end...

 and Lisors

Lisors

Lisors is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.Mortemer Abbey is located on the territory of the commune.-Population:-References:*...

, some 34 km (21.1 mi) southeast of Rouen

Rouen

Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

 in the department of Eure

Eure

Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...

. It is located on the territory of the commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 of Lisors.

History

It was originally built in 1134 on land gifted to the Cistercians by Henry I of England

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

. The stagnant water of the drainage lake, dug out by the monks to dry up the marshy-land around the quick running Fouillebroc stream, was called "dead mere", "dead pond" - in modern French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 "morte mare" - and gave the monastery its name. The monks constructed what was then one of the largest Cistercian monastery in the world.

Over the centuries, the abbey fell into decline and disrepair. It was rebuilt in the 17th Century, but the decline was irreversible and by 1790, when it was dissolved in the course of the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, only five monks remained.

Buildings

The 12th century buildings were already more or less derelict by the time of the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, and subsequent use as a convenient source of cut stone for local construction reduced them to little more than a ruin. Apart from the cloisters, which are relatively intact, there remains only a shell.

The 17th century buildings by contrast are well preserved and open to visitors, with guided tours available most of the year.

The abbey site also has a well-maintained 17th century dovecote

Dovecote

A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...

, which was also used as a gaol house in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Legends

There are a number of legends and ghost stories

Ghost story

A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...

 relating to the abbey. Matilda of England was forced by her father Henry I of England

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

 to stay in a room in the abbey for 5 years. After her death in Rouen

Rouen

Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

, she is said to have come back to haunt the place. Her ghost is known as The White Lady. Visitors to the abbey have reported hearing strange noises and feeeling a strange presence.
4 monks were murdered during the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 and their ghosts are also said to haunt the abbey. If you meet a cat in the ruins, it is alleged to be a Goblin cat (in Norman

Norman language

Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. Norman can be classified as one of the northern Oïl languages along with Picard and Walloon...

eul cat goublin), guarding the treasure of the abbey. There are a number of other legends, giving the abbey the nickname of as most haunted abbey in France.

External links

• Vidéo sur l'abbaye (1993) (in French)
• Site officiel de l'abbaye de Mortemer (In French)