List of Benedictine monasteries in France

This is a list of Benedictine monasteries, extant and non-extant, in the present territory of France. It includes both monks and nuns following the Rule of Saint Benedict, excluding the Cistercians, for whom see List of Cistercian monasteries in France. Some monasteries however belonged at various times in their histories to both the Benedictines and the Cistercians.

At different times these religious houses have formed various orders, congregations or groups, of which the main ones, as far as French monasteries are concerned, are the following:

The dates in brackets indicate the start and end dates of an abbey's status as a Benedictine monastery, which are not necessarily the same as the dates of its foundation or suppression. All religious houses in France were suppressed during the French Revolution, most of them in 1791. Some communities were revived, and many more new ones established, during the 19th century, but were forced to leave France by anti-clerical legislation during the 1880s (principally the Ferry Laws), and again in the first decades of the 20th century under the Association Act, 1901 (the Waldeck-Rousseau Law).

Abbeys and independent priories currently in operation are indicated by bold type.

Dependent priories are not generally noted in this list, except for a few unusually significant ones.


A

Saint-Germain d'Auxerre

B

Brantôme Abbey
Baume Abbey
Bec Abbey
St. Cross Abbey, Bordeaux

C

La Chaise-Dieu Abbey
Conques Abbey church
Corbie Abbey

D

E

F

Fécamp Abbey

G

Gaillac Abbey
  • Gaël Abbey, or Abbey of St. John, Gaël (Abbaye Saint-Jean de Gaël), monks (Gaël, Ille-et-Vilaine): predecessor of Saint-Méen Abbey, qv
  • Gaillac Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Michel de Gaillac), Diocese of Albi (Gaillac, Tarn)
  • Ganagobie Abbey, also Priory (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Ganagobie), monks (Ganagobie, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
  • Gaussan Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Gaussan) (founded as a priory in 1994, raised to an abbey in 2004) (Bizanet, Aude)
  • Gellone Abbey: see Abbaye de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
  • Gercy Abbey otherwise Jarcy Abbey (Abbaye de Gercy or Jarcy), nuns, Diocese of Paris (?-1791) (Varennes-Jarcy, Essonne)
  • Gif Abbey (Abbaye de Gif), nuns, Diocese of Paris (Gif-sur-Yvette, Essonne)
  • Gigny Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Gigny) (Gigny, Jura)
  • Glandières Abbey otherwise La Glandière Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Martin de Glandières or de la Glandière), Diocese of Metz (Longeville-lès-Saint-Avold, Moselle)
Gigny Abbey (Jura)

H

Hambye Abbey

I

J

Jumièges Abbey

K

  • Kerbénéat Priory (Prieuré de Kerbénéat), nuns (Plounéventer, Finistère) (1976–2002)[40]
  • Kergonan (Plouharnel, Morbihan):
    • Abbey of St. Anne, Kergonan (Abbaye Sainte-Anne de Kergonan), monks [41]
Abbey of St Anne, Kergonan
    • Abbey of St. Michael, Kergonan (Abbaye Saint-Michel de Kergonan), nuns

L

Landévennec Abbey

M

Marmoutier Abbey
Moissac Abbey
Meymac Abbey
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
Murbach Abbey

N

Nouaillé-Maupertuis Abbey

O

P

Preuilly Abbey

Q

R

  • Randol Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Randol), monks (1981-) (Saint-Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme) [64]
  • La Réole Priory or La Réaule Priory (Prieuré de La Réole or de la Réaule), monks, Diocese of Lescar (La Réole, Gironde)
  • Rebais Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Rebais), monks, Diocese of Meaux (Rebais, Seine-et-Marne)
  • Redon Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Sauveur de Redon), monks (832-1790), Diocese of Vannes (Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine)
  • Reims (Marne), Diocese of Reims:
    • St. Nicasius' Abbey, Reims (Abbaye Saint-Nicaise de Reims), monks[65]
    • St. Peter's Abbey, Reims (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Reims), nuns
    • St. Remigius' Abbey, Reims (Abbaye Saint-Rémi de Reims, later Basilique Saint-Rémi de Reims), monks
    • St. Thierri's Abbey, Reims (Abbaye Saint-Thierri de Reims), monks[66]
    • St. Timothy's Abbey, Reims (Abbaye Saint-Thimotée de Reims)
  • Remiremont Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Remiremont or Saint-Mont), double monastery (monks and nuns), Diocese of Toul later Diocese of Saint-Dié (Remiremont, Vosges)
  • Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), Diocese of Rennes:
    • Abbey of St. George, Rennes (Abbaye Saint-Georges de Rennes), nuns
    • Abbey of St. Melaine, Rennes (Abbaye Saint-Melaine de Rennes), monks
  • Rhuys Abbey or Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Gildas de Rhuys), monks, Diocese of Vannes (Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, Morbihan)
  • Ribemont Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Nicolas-des-Prés de Ribemont), monks, Diocese of Laon (Ribemont, Aisne)
  • Rocamadour Abbey or Roquamadour Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Rocamadour or Roquemadour), administratively in the Diocese of Tulle but situated in the Diocese of Cahors (Rocamadour, Lot)
  • La Rochette Abbey or Abbey of St. Joseph de La Rochette (Abbaye Saint-Joseph de La Rochette, Abbaye de La Rochette), nuns (Belmont-Tramonet, Savoie); founded in 1824 at the Château de la Rochette in Cuire-le-Bas, Caluire-et-Cuire (Rhône); became an abbey in 1837; moved to Belmont-Tramonet in 1970[67]
  • Abbey of St. Saturnin, Rodez (Abbaye Saint-Saturnin de Rodez or Abbaye de Saint-Sernin de Rodez), nuns, Diocese of Rodez (Rodez, Aveyron)
  • Ronceray Abbey (Abbaye du Ronceray d'Angers or Abbaye Notre-Dame du Ronceray), nuns, Diocese of Angers (1028-?) (Angers, Maine-et-Loire)
  • Abbaye Notre-Dame de Miséricorde de Rosans, nuns, Diocese of Gap (founded 1991) (Rosans, Hautes-Alpes)
  • Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Rosheim (Abbaye Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur de Rosheim), nuns (Rosheim, Bas-Rhin)[68]
  • Rouen (Seine-Maritime), Diocese of Rouen:
    • Abbey of St. Amand, Rouen (Abbaye Saint-Amand de Rouen), nuns
    • Abbey of St. Ouen, Rouen (Abbaye Saint-Ouen de Rouen), monks
  • Rougemont Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Rougemont), nuns, Diocese of Dijon (moved to Dijon 1673) (Rougemont, Côte-d'Or)
  • Royallieu Abbey or Royal-Lieu Abbey (Abbaye de Royallieu or Royal-Lieu), nuns, Diocese of Soissons (Compiègne, Oise)

S

Abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte
Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe
Saint-Sever Abbey
Abbaye aux Dames, Saintes
Abbey of Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache

T

U

  • Abbey of St. Scholastica, Urt (Abbaye de Saint-Scholastique d'Urt), nuns (Urt, Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
  • Uzerche Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Uzerche), monks, Diocese of Limoges (Uzerche, Corrèze)

V

Val-de-Grâce Abbey (Paris)

W

  • Wisques, Pas-de-Calais:
    • Abbey of Our Lady, Wisques (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Wisques), nuns
    • Abbey of St. Paul, Wisques (Abbaye Saint-Paul de Wisques), monks (1910-) [99]

Y

  • Yerres Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Yerres), nuns, Diocese of Paris (?-1791) (Yerres, Essonne)[100]
  • Yzeure Priory otherwise Yzeure Abbey (Abbaye d'Yzeure, Prieuré Saint-Pierre d'Yzeure), nuns (a Benedictine abbey until c 1151, when it became a priory of Saint-Menoux Abbey) (Yzeure, Allier)[101][102]

Notes

See also

References

  • Gallia Christiana
  • Gaussin, Pierre-Roger, nd: Les cohortes du Christ, Ouest-France
  • Gazeau, Véronique, 2007: Normannia monastica, princes normands et abbés bénédictins. Prosopograpie des abbés bénédictins (2 vols). Publications du CRAHM. ISBN 978-2-902685-38-7
  • Laffont, Robert, nd: Dictionnaire des églises de France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse (Tome II-B)
  • Le Bras, G., Hourlier, J., Cocheril, M., 1979: Les ordres religieux, la vie et l'art. Tome 1: Monastères et communautés ; Les Bénédictins ; Les Cisterciens ; Les Chartreux ; Les ordres militaires. Flammarion: Paris. ISBN 2-08-010028-9
  • Schmitz, Philibert, 1942: Histoire de l'ordre de Saint-Benoît (2 vols). Maredsous: Les Éditions de Maredsous