Vauluisant Abbey
Encyclopedia
Vauluisant Abbey, near Courgenay
in the canton of Villeneuve-l'Archevêque
, Yonne
, France, is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1127 by a group of monks from the abbey of Preuilly (Seine-et-Marne) who came to settle between the forest of Othe and the forest of Lancy, an area near the borders of Ile-de-France
, Champagne and Burgundy
that had come to be far from human habitation. They diverted the waters of the little River Alain and by 1 April 1129, works were far enough advanced for Henri Sanglier, the archbishop of Sens, to consecrate the modest oratory. By 1140 Vauluisant was fully operational. The abbey church was consecrated in 1149. In the second half of the 12th century, granges were established to cultivate abbey lands far from the abbey itself, at Beauvais, Toucheboeuf, Livanne, Cérilly, Armentières, worked by lay brothers who lived communally. Ironworks were established, fuelled by the dense woodlands, and tileworks, whose kilns were also fired by forest timber. The energetic Cistercians of Vauluisant produced more than the abbey needed; the surplus was sold in the market towns of Troyes
and Provins
, where the abbots retained domiciles, and at the cathedral town of Sens
.
The abbey was attacked and pillaged and its mills destroyed several times during the Hundred Years War; its ancient structures were repaired and rebuilt in the 15th century with the return of royal authority to the region of Sens in the reign of Charles VII
. At the opening of the 16th century, under the direction of abbot Antoine Pierre (elected in 1502) the abbey was transformed and enlarged with an enclosed park, a grand fortified gatehouse, a grange dimière (tithe barn
), a dovecote, a mill, a rebuilt chapel and spacious new lodgings for guests— the remains that can be recognized today. François I
with his court was a guest at Vauluisant more than once, and Jacques de Savoie, 2nd Duc de Nemours
was born at Vauluisant in 1531. But the rich benefice of Vauluisant attracted a series of abbots who held it in commendam
, enjoying the income while the abbey slipped into disrepair; among them was Odet de Coligny
, the well-beneficed cardinal who joined the Reformed church and was excommunicated.
During the French Wars of Religion
, Vauluisant suffered further damage: an armed troop partially destroyed the abbey church in 1562, and there were multiple episodes of pillaging between 1571 and 1576. In 1636 Cardinal Richelieu imposed a reform, replacing the monks with strict Cistercians. A bird's-eye view of Vauluisant, drawn for Abbot Le Tellier in 1692 is conserved in the Bibliothèque National: it is a precious document of the state of the abbey's structures. A program of restorations was undertaken in the 18th century, funded by the Cistercians' sale of timber from abbey forests. The abbey was secularised in the Revolution
and sold as a bien national. In 1835 it was purchased by the progressive banker Léopold Javal (1804–1872), who farmed the estate according to modern principles of agronomy
; most of the structures had been demolished, leaving a range of the visitors' lodgings to the left of the fortified gatehouse, and the remains of the abbot's lodging, rebuilt in the 18th century and again 1866-, which constitutes the "Château" of Vauluisant. Considerable garden works were undertaken at the same time. Modern conservation of the former chapel of St. Mary Magdalene was undertaken from 1965 by M. Jean Gamby, and further conservation of the grange and commons. Vauluisant is the property of Mme Viviane Demoulin Gamby.
At Troyes
, the Hôtel de Vauluisant, the abbot's seat in the cathedral city, has housed the Musée historique de Troyes et de Champagne, with a decorative arts collection that includes a 19th-century model of Troyes Cathedral. At the market centre of Provins
, another Hôtel de Vauluisant conserves its 13th-century façade.
At Vauluisant during the time of Léopold Javal, in 1863 or 1865, while the farm was let to Edme-François Pailleret was found the fine marble head of Diadumenos
type, a Roman copy after a Greek bronze original, now conserved in the Louvre. Its discovery identifies the site as having been a Roman villa
about the time the sculpture was made, in the mid-2nd century CE.
Courgenay, Yonne
Courgenay is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France....
in the canton of Villeneuve-l'Archevêque
Canton of Villeneuve-l'Archevêque
The canton of Villeneuve-l'Archevêque is a canton of France, located in the Yonne département, in the Bourgogne région. It has 17 communes...
, Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
, France, is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1127 by a group of monks from the abbey of Preuilly (Seine-et-Marne) who came to settle between the forest of Othe and the forest of Lancy, an area near the borders of Ile-de-France
Île-de-France (province)
The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...
, Champagne and Burgundy
County of Burgundy
The Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...
that had come to be far from human habitation. They diverted the waters of the little River Alain and by 1 April 1129, works were far enough advanced for Henri Sanglier, the archbishop of Sens, to consecrate the modest oratory. By 1140 Vauluisant was fully operational. The abbey church was consecrated in 1149. In the second half of the 12th century, granges were established to cultivate abbey lands far from the abbey itself, at Beauvais, Toucheboeuf, Livanne, Cérilly, Armentières, worked by lay brothers who lived communally. Ironworks were established, fuelled by the dense woodlands, and tileworks, whose kilns were also fired by forest timber. The energetic Cistercians of Vauluisant produced more than the abbey needed; the surplus was sold in the market towns of Troyes
Troyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
and Provins
Provins
Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2001.-Administration:...
, where the abbots retained domiciles, and at the cathedral town of Sens
Sens
Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...
.
The abbey was attacked and pillaged and its mills destroyed several times during the Hundred Years War; its ancient structures were repaired and rebuilt in the 15th century with the return of royal authority to the region of Sens in the reign of Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
. At the opening of the 16th century, under the direction of abbot Antoine Pierre (elected in 1502) the abbey was transformed and enlarged with an enclosed park, a grand fortified gatehouse, a grange dimière (tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
), a dovecote, a mill, a rebuilt chapel and spacious new lodgings for guests— the remains that can be recognized today. François I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
with his court was a guest at Vauluisant more than once, and Jacques de Savoie, 2nd Duc de Nemours
Jacques de Savoie, 2nd Duc de Nemours
Jacques of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Nemours became Duke of Nemours in 1533.He distinguished himself at the sieges of Lens and Metz , at the battle of Renty and in the campaign of Piedmont ....
was born at Vauluisant in 1531. But the rich benefice of Vauluisant attracted a series of abbots who held it in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
, enjoying the income while the abbey slipped into disrepair; among them was Odet de Coligny
Odet de Coligny
Odet de Coligny was a French cardinal of Châtillon, bishop of Beauvais, son of Gaspard I de Coligny and Louise de Montmorency, and brother of Gaspard and François, Seigneur d'Andelot.-Birth:...
, the well-beneficed cardinal who joined the Reformed church and was excommunicated.
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...
, Vauluisant suffered further damage: an armed troop partially destroyed the abbey church in 1562, and there were multiple episodes of pillaging between 1571 and 1576. In 1636 Cardinal Richelieu imposed a reform, replacing the monks with strict Cistercians. A bird's-eye view of Vauluisant, drawn for Abbot Le Tellier in 1692 is conserved in the Bibliothèque National: it is a precious document of the state of the abbey's structures. A program of restorations was undertaken in the 18th century, funded by the Cistercians' sale of timber from abbey forests. The abbey was secularised in the 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 sold as a bien national. In 1835 it was purchased by the progressive banker Léopold Javal (1804–1872), who farmed the estate according to modern principles of agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
; most of the structures had been demolished, leaving a range of the visitors' lodgings to the left of the fortified gatehouse, and the remains of the abbot's lodging, rebuilt in the 18th century and again 1866-, which constitutes the "Château" of Vauluisant. Considerable garden works were undertaken at the same time. Modern conservation of the former chapel of St. Mary Magdalene was undertaken from 1965 by M. Jean Gamby, and further conservation of the grange and commons. Vauluisant is the property of Mme Viviane Demoulin Gamby.
At Troyes
Troyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
, the Hôtel de Vauluisant, the abbot's seat in the cathedral city, has housed the Musée historique de Troyes et de Champagne, with a decorative arts collection that includes a 19th-century model of Troyes Cathedral. At the market centre of Provins
Provins
Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2001.-Administration:...
, another Hôtel de Vauluisant conserves its 13th-century façade.
At Vauluisant during the time of Léopold Javal, in 1863 or 1865, while the farm was let to Edme-François Pailleret was found the fine marble head of Diadumenos
Diadumenos
The Diadumenos , together with the Doryphoros and Discophoros, are the three most famous figural types of the sculptor Polyclitus, forming three basic patterns of Ancient Greek sculpture that all present strictly idealised representations of young male athletes in a convincingly naturalistic...
type, a Roman copy after a Greek bronze original, now conserved in the Louvre. Its discovery identifies the site as having been a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
about the time the sculpture was made, in the mid-2nd century CE.
External links
- Abbaye de Vauluisant
- Abbaye de Vauluisant
- Ministère de Culture: Vauluisant
- A manuscript of Josephus from the scriptorium of Vauluisant, second half of the twelfth century, gives an example of the spare Cistercian illuminations
Further reading
- Vicomte Greffié de Bellecombe, "L'Abbaye de Vauluisant en Champagne, où naquit Jacques de Savoie-Nemours," Société Savoisienne d'Histoire et d'Archéologie: Mémoires et Documents, 59.2 (1920)