Ancienne abbaye bénédictine

English translation

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History

The foundation of the abbey dates to 791, by religious men subject to the rule of Saint Benedict. The first abbot was appointed in 821. In 853, the monastery and the town were pillaged by Normans. In the 11th century, abbot Robert I had the church and conventual buildings rebuilt. In 1358, Cormery was taken by the English who sacked the monastery and the town. In 1450, abbot Pierre Berthelot protected the town behind a wall and moats. The old Benedictine abbey has undergone numerous alterations, but presents vestiges from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The abbey comprised an abbatial church composed of an important Romanesque bell tower, the Saint-Paul tower, whose upper gallery and spire collapsed in 1891. It was composed of a nave flanked by narrow aisles which extended around a choir. A transept separated the nave from the choir. Of the nave, choir and transept, nothing remains from the Romanesque period. The vestiges belonging to the Gothic period comprise the remains of a refectory from the late 13th century, some parts of the cloisters belonging to the 14th and 15th centuries, an apsidal chapel of the 15th century that formed part of the former abbatial church, the abbatial dwelling of the 15th century. Capitals, corbel stones and vault keys carved, mingling human figures and floral ornament. The extremity of the south arm of the church presents a semi-circular tower, called the Saint-Jean tower, built in 1463 to fortify the abbey.

Description

In accordance with tradition, the abbey church is oriented from west to east. Due to the slope, the cloister and the convent buildings are arranged to the north and below the level of the church (-1m30 and more). Around the cloister courtyard and galleries, the western wing accommodates the gatehouse and the parlour which are built against the north wall of the Saint-Paul tower. It continues with the vast refectory and the kitchen which forms the north-west corner. The northern wing is occupied by the bays of the cellary, surmounted by rooms for the reception of guests, the library and the infirmary. The chapter house and the sacristy, adjoining the north arm of the transept of the abbey church, to the east, are surmounted by the dormitories. This part of the East wing is separated from the following part by a transverse passage. It serves the staircase leading to the dormitory on the upper floor and leads to an external gallery, perpendicular to the wing, to go under cover to the small and large gardens of the monks. The East wing continues towards the north by the charchery and various outbuildings. Other buildings are erected around the entire convent complex, within the enclosure. The almshouse, also called the Prior's house, is situated along the main entrance of the monastery, to the south of the Saint-Paul tower. The abbot's dwelling is built beyond the chevet of the abbey church, straddling the enclosure wall. It is protected by a first enclosure wall separating it from the town and by the additional construction that was made to include a dovecote, a tithe barn, a press and stables in a new independent enclosure forming the outer courtyard. This extends towards the east, tangent to the monastic enclosure and to the town walls. Other buildings existed and still appear as more or less well-identified remains: the marc cellar, the sacristan's house, former latrines, etc.