Vauclair Abbey
Encyclopedia
Vauclair or Vauclerc Abbey was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1134 by saint Bernard of Clairvaux
at the request of Barthélemy de Jur
, bishop of Laon.
in an east-west stretch of the Ailette
river valley at the foot of the northern side of the Chemin des Dames
, on a site already occupied by a church, in what is now the Bouconville-Vauclair
commune. The site was ceded to Bernard with all its rights and dependencies. On 23 May 1134 a group of monks from Clairvaux Abbey
, headed by the Englishman, took possession of the new abbey, the fifteenth daughter house of that at Clairvaux. Its east-west orientation led Bernard to name it Vauclair (Vallis clara), reversing the name of the mother abbey (Clara vallis). Supported by gifts from rich families, the abbey quickly prospered and was given several estates and farms.
In 1142, on the initiative of Bernard and Hatton
, bishop of Troyes, the abbaye Notre-Dame du Reclus north of Sézanne
was made a subsidiary of the abbey at Vauclair. In 1167, at the request of Henry I of Champagne
, count palatine of Champagne, Vauclair Abbey sent monks to found the abbaye Notre-Dame de la Charmoye not far from Épernay
. The Hundred Years' War
and the 16th century French Wars of Religion
heavily damaged Vauclair abbey, though it managed to survive until the French Revolution
in 1789, when it was finally demolished and sold as "national property". Its geographical location very near to the Chemin des Dames led to what was left of its buildings being almost totally destroyed in 1917 by direct artillery bombardment. Only ruins now remain.
Following excavations in 1966 by a local association led by a young Belgian Jesuit, père René Courtois - who lived in the abbey from 1966 until his death in 2005 - the site was made a monument historique
in 1970. The site now also includes an arboretum
of apple and pear trees and a medicinal herb harden planned by Courtois and opened in 1976.
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
at the request of Barthélemy de Jur
Barthélemy de Jur
Barthélemy de Jur was a French bishop. He was bishop of Laon from 1113 to 1151. Some documents give his name as Barthélemy de Grandson or de Joux.-Life:...
, bishop of Laon.
History
It was built about fifteen kilometers to the south of LaonLaon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
in an east-west stretch of the Ailette
Ailette (river)
The Ailette is a long river in the Aisne département, eastern France. Its source is at Sainte-Croix. It flows generally west-northwest. It is a left tributary of the Oise into which it flows between Manicamp and Quierzy, northeast of Compiègne....
river valley at the foot of the northern side of the Chemin des Dames
Chemin des Dames
In France, the Chemin des Dames is part of the D18 and runs east and west in the département of Aisne, between in the west, the Route Nationale 2, and in the east, the D1044 at Corbeny. It is some thirty kilometres long and runs along a ridge between the valleys of the rivers Aisne and Ailette...
, on a site already occupied by a church, in what is now the Bouconville-Vauclair
Bouconville-Vauclair
Bouconville-Vauclair is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
commune. The site was ceded to Bernard with all its rights and dependencies. On 23 May 1134 a group of monks from Clairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...
, headed by the Englishman, took possession of the new abbey, the fifteenth daughter house of that at Clairvaux. Its east-west orientation led Bernard to name it Vauclair (Vallis clara), reversing the name of the mother abbey (Clara vallis). Supported by gifts from rich families, the abbey quickly prospered and was given several estates and farms.
In 1142, on the initiative of Bernard and Hatton
Hatton
-Places:Canada* Hatton, SaskatchewanEngland* Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, in the county of Cheshire* Hatton, Derbyshire* Hatton, Lincolnshire* Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow* Hatton, Shropshire...
, bishop of Troyes, the abbaye Notre-Dame du Reclus north of Sézanne
Sézanne
Sézanne is a commune in the Marne department and Champagne-Ardenne region in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are called Sézannais.-See also:*Communes of the Marne department...
was made a subsidiary of the abbey at Vauclair. In 1167, at the request of Henry I of Champagne
Henry I of Champagne
Henry I of Champagne , known as "the Liberal", was count of Champagne from 1152 to 1181. He was the eldest son of Count Thibaut II of Champagne and his wife, Matilda of Carinthia....
, count palatine of Champagne, Vauclair Abbey sent monks to found the abbaye Notre-Dame de la Charmoye not far from Épernay
Épernay
Épernay is a commune in the Marne department in northern France. Épernay is located some 130 km north-east of Paris on the main line of the Eastern railway to Strasbourg...
. The Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
and the 16th century French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
heavily damaged Vauclair abbey, though it managed to survive until 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...
in 1789, when it was finally demolished and sold as "national property". Its geographical location very near to the Chemin des Dames led to what was left of its buildings being almost totally destroyed in 1917 by direct artillery bombardment. Only ruins now remain.
Following excavations in 1966 by a local association led by a young Belgian Jesuit, père René Courtois - who lived in the abbey from 1966 until his death in 2005 - the site was made a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
in 1970. The site now also includes an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
of apple and pear trees and a medicinal herb harden planned by Courtois and opened in 1976.