Founding
abbey located in Cher, in France
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Noirlac Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located in Bruère-Allichamps, near Saint-Amand-Montrond, in the Cher department. The abbey was officially founded in 1136, but the construction itself by monks coming from Clairvaux Abbey only started in 1150, and stretched out to the 13th century. Following the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), the monastery influence slowly declined:
It then briefly housed an orphanage, harboured Spanish Civil War refugees and finally operated as an annex to the hospice located in Saint-Amand-Montrond. Interestingly enough, these various fates contributed to the preservation of the abbey buildings.
It is one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in the country; the Cher department restored it between 1950 and 1980. The ensemble currently serves as a "Cultural Meeting Centre" (French: Centre culturel de rencontre), a member of a European network of Cultural Meeting Centres. Furthermore, Noirlac Abbey is a member of the European Charter of Cistercian Abbeys and Sites.
The site has been registered on the National Heritage list in 1862.
The abbey was founded in 1136 by a small group of monks from Clairvaux Abbey in Burgundy. It was originally named Maison-Dieu (English: God-house), changing to Noirlac (after the pond bordering the site) in 1290. It is an emblematic monastery of the Cistercian Order In his work (Exordium magnum Ordinis Cisterciensis), the Cistercian monk Conrad of Eberbach reported the founding date of Noirlac as 27 October 1136. The first community was led by Robert de Châtillon-sur-Allier.
The monks occupied lands belonging to the lord Ebbes V of Charenton. It was an inhospitable, marshy, wooded area near the Cher river. A letter dated 1149, sent by Saint Bernard to Suger (abbot of the Basilica of Saint-Denis and advisor to king Louis VII of France), alerts the latter to the precarious situation of the Cistercian community at Maison-Dieu-sur-Cher and requires his assistance:
Our brothers at Maison-Dieu, in the diocese of Bourges, are in need of bread; we have heard that the Lord King's harvest in that region is plentiful and is selling at a low price. We ask you to grant them, from this harvest, whatever amount your wisdom deems appropriate, for my lord the King was accustomed to showing them kindness when he was in the area.
An initial founding charter was issued in 1150 by Ebbes V of Charenton. He granted all the seigneurial rights he held at the site known as La Maison-Dieu, along with a portion of woodland, a stretch of water extending from Humbert's mills to the abbey, and lands at Chalais, Saint-Loup, and Fleuret. This donation was made to the monks of Clairvaux ad abbatiam faciendam (English: for the purpose of establishing an abbey). These rights were transferred from the Benedictine monks of La Celle-Bruère priory near Bruère-Allichamps, who received a compensation.
The donation made by Ebbes V of Charenton was confirmed by his wife Agnès, in 1159, at the request of Pierre de La Châtre, then Archbishop of Bourges and Primate of Aquitaine. The close by Abbey for nuns of Bussières, founded by Agnès and Ebbes V, was soon affiliated with the Abbey of Noirlac. Ebbes VI of Charenton confirmed his father's donations in 1189 and added others at the request of the Archbishop of Bourges, Henry de Sully.
The abbey was built primarily during the 12th century. The church, consecrated in 1147, was constructed following the Bernardine blueprint previously used for the abbey church at Fontenay: the choir, the transept and the last bays were completed between 1150 and 1160. From 1170 to 1190 were erected the church wall adjoining the cloister, the chapter house, the monks' room and the monks' dormitory (located on the first floor east of the cloister). Finally, the lay brothers' building was constructed to the west of the cloister.
In the early 13th century, a porch was added to the façade. In the following years the refectory was constructed, south of the cloister. The north and west cloister galleries were built between 1270 and 1280. The gradual disappearance of the lay brothers led to the elimination of the "lay brothers' passage" that provided access to their building; it was replaced by the west cloister gallery, which was complemented by the east gallery (before 1350) and the south gallery (around 1300).
A hydraulic system was installed as early as the 12th century. The monks tapped into a nearby spring located north of the abbey church's transept: surveys revealed the existence of a large duct conduit encircling the monastic buildings located around the cloister. Its structure is uniform, with a height and width ranging from 80 centimetres (31 in) to 129 centimetres (51 in); it is made of rubble masonry and roofed with an unplastered semicircular reinforced barrel vault. It appears to have been constructed at the same time as the monastic ensemble. Other hydraulic installations were discovered on the site, extending from the main collector drain. Inside the cloister, much smaller pipe channels (35 centimetres (14 in) to 50 centimetres (20 in) wide) were uncovered, buried 50 centimetres (20 in) deep. These water networks seem to have been regularly maintained during the Middle Ages and till 16th century.
Throughout the first half of the 13th century, donations kept poured in, comprising woodlands, land, vineyards, ponds, mills and townhouses. At its heyday, the abbey's holdings also included up to fourteen farm estates, seventeen farms, 275 hectares (680 acres) hectares of forest, houses, mills, meadows, and received taxes (tithes, quit-rents).
The Lords of Charenton and other benefactors were buried in the cemetery and the cloister. Some key figures had the honor to be inhumed in the chapter house, together with several abbots:
From 1322 onwards, the name Noirlac Abbey replaces the calling Maison-Dieu Abbey.
During the Hundred Years' War, the Berry region and the monastery frequently suffered devastation (e.g. Sir Robert Knolles and his men occupied the buildings between 1358 and 1360). After the war, additional devastation was caused by the wandering Free Companies, then the Écorcheurs and the Praguerie revolt.
To defend themselves, the monks undertook the fortification of the abbey. Under the protection of Jean Bourguignon de Saint-Amand, a keep was built. In 1423, the Lord of Orval, Guillaume d'Albret, confirmed a right granted by his father, the Constable of France, to allow the abbey to be fortified and be guarded by a captain. Following the Congress of Arras (1435), Écorcheurs troops led by Rodrigo de Villandrando entered the Berry region. In the spring of 1437, Rodrigo occupied the castle of Montrond and used it as its headquarters. Jean de Bourbon, (aka the bastard of Vendôme, 1420-1496) and his men rallied him in 1438. Due to its proximmity, Noirlac Abbey repeatedly suffered from these brigands' plundering. The keep is still mentioned in records from 1724, but all traces of the structure have since vanished.
Following the end of Hundred Years' War, the Cistercian community experienced a moral crisis: the regular influx of donations and taxes benefiting the abbey turned the monks into rentiers who did no longer need to work for their livelihood. This situation gradually fostered discord and misconduct in the monastery:
In order to fight these behaviours, various inquiries were conducted in the abbey, led by abbots from the abbeys of Reigny, Fontmorigny, and Chalivoy. A final attempt at reform took place in 1521, led by the abbot of Bourras Abbey, commissioned by the General Chapter.
Noirlac Abbey was placed under the In commendam rule in 1510: this system authorised the abbey management to be transferred to a cleric or layman (as opposed to religious people). This in commendam person could receive the revenues and may exercise a certain degree of jurisdiction, though he held no authority over the monks' internal discipline. In addition, the abbot was now appointed by the king rather than elected by the General Chapter.
As a result, daily life in the monastery dramatically changed. The abbot established his living quarters in the former lay brothers' building, above the storeroom. Together with the monks, he shared a common entrance located beneath the tower. When the abbot was not residing at the abbey, a prior was appointed to ensure operations.
In 1569, Protestant forces commanded by Count Palatine Wolfgang of Zweibrücken invaded the northeastern part of the Berry region. The Huguenot troops were looting the churches along their route. In Noirlac, they appear to have ransacked barns belonging to the abbey. A land register dating from 1600 describes the site without noting any damage to the monastery.
However,The Fronde caused significant destruction to the buildings. Between 1650 and 1652, Louis II de Bourbon (known as the Grand Condé) held the fortress of Saint-Amand-Montrond, then sieged by royal troops. Forces from both sides captured and recaptured the abbey during the siege of the castle, resulting in extensive damage. In 1654, the Abbot of Noirlac reported the demolition of several abbey edifices by soldiers from both parties. No major repairs could be undertaken since by then, the community comprised only four monks.
In the second half of the 17th century, the buildings were divided between the monks and the abbé commendataire (English: lay abbot). The latter kept the lay brothers' housing, the west cloister walk and the great kitchen. The religious community occupied the cloister, the dormitory, the refectory, the guest chamber and the attics above the other three cloister walks. Taking advantage of a dispensation granted by Pope Alexander VII, the monks partitioned the dormitory into individual cells.
The condition of the abbey in the early 18th century is known thanks to a visit report by the historian and liturgist Edmond Martène. He then noted:
The Abbey of Noirlac I visited after Fontmorigny, has retained more traces of its former grandeur. The cloisters, the chapter house, the parlor, the novitiate, the refectory and the kitchen all bespeak a certain glory. The kitchen chimney is of a singular structure, being double and projecting into the center of the room. It is said that the Prince, upon seeing it, could not cease admiring the construction. The church remains intact and the choir stalls reflect the simplicity of Saint Bernard’s era. I did not see so many others like them. The Abbot of Clairvaux, during a visitation, had half of these stalls removed...
Despite the work undertaken by Abbot Claude de Mauroy, the site was in a sorry state when Antoine Louis d'Aurillac was appointed Abbé commendataire. A list of urgent repairs was drawn up in 1717. The abbey had deteriorated to such an extent that the abbot had to live at the Hôtel Saint-Vic in Saint-Amand-Montrond, while the monks ate in an insalubrious area "where the latrines were located". Initially, Louis d'Aurillac organised a division of the abbey's assets and revenues: he took possession of the Saint-Vic house (now a museum) in Saint-Amand-Montrond, while the lay brothers' dormitory was allocated to the monks. The abbot was responsible for the renovation work, founding it through the abbey's assets and income. He then initiated a series of projects, which started to be implemented between 1724 and 1730.
In 1740, other renovations occurred:
A report submitted to the Archbishop of Bourges in 1766 describes the condition of the abbey after 40 years of works under the lead of Antoine Louis d'Aurillac as its abbot. The community was only five people strong, all of them being priests, and the church was well-maintained. The buildings were in good condition and the dormitory renovated, featuring seven bedrooms. An archive room and another room serving as an infirmary were also built.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Noirlac Abbey”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.