Grestain Abbey
Encyclopedia
Grestain Abbey was an 11th-Century
Benedictine monastery near the town of Fatouville-Grestain
, which is located in the modern-day Eure
département of Upper Normandy, France. The abbey was in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisieux
. Closely associated with the family of William, Duke of Normandy, the abbey was instrumental in the Normans taking control over the Catholic Church in England
in the centuries following the Norman Conquest of England
, establishing new churches and priories in England
, and Abbots of Grestain ordained many English priests. Many churches mentioned in the Domesday Book
cite Grestain as the founding establishment.
and his wife Arlette
, mother of William the Conqueror.
Herluin, a victim of leprosy, was said to have seen a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who told him to take a spa treatment at the source of the Carbec stream in Grestain (Carbec meaning "the Stream of Kari").
Guéri decided to build an abbey in the nearby Valley of Vilaine
dedicated to the Virgin and a chapel at Carbec, a site also dedicated to the healing spring of Saint-Méen
.
Guéri's son, Robert de Mortain
, half-brother of William, was the principal benefactor, endowing it with his revenues from England.
In 1358, the abbey was sacked by the Anglo-Navarrais. The monks took refuge at their safe house in Rouen
, in the parish of Saint-Eloi. Between 15 November 1364 and 10 August 1365, the abbey was attacked once more. On the reutn of the monks, the abbey had been partly destroyed and nearly rased to the ground.
The abbey was officially closed in 1757 on the orders of the bishop. The church buildings were demolished around 1766 and the rest of abbey destroyed in 1790; of these buildings, only a few ruins remain, integrated into the Château de La Pommeraye (a private property): a defensive wall, a 13th-Century portal, an 18th-Century manor with a 13th-Century floor, and remains of the church.
A monunment has been erected to the memory of the founders who were buried in the now defunct church: Arlette, Herluin and Robert de Mortain, as well as Robert's wife, Mathilde de Montgomerie, daughter of Roger de Montgomerie
.
:
11th century in architecture
See also:10th century in architecture,other events of the 11th century,12th century in architecture and thearchitecture timeline.-Buildings:* 1001 – The Cathedral of Ani is built in Armenia.* 1001 – St...
Benedictine monastery near the town of Fatouville-Grestain
Fatouville-Grestain
Fatouville-Grestain is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, which is located in the modern-day Eure
Eure
Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département of Upper Normandy, France. The abbey was in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisieux
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisieux
The Diocese of Lisieux was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in France, centered on Lisieux, in Calvados.The bishop of Lisieux was the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisieux. The first known Bishop of Lisieux is one Theodibandes, mentioned in connexion with a council held in...
. Closely associated with the family of William, Duke of Normandy, the abbey was instrumental in the Normans taking control over the Catholic Church in England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in the centuries following the Norman Conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, establishing new churches and priories in England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, and Abbots of Grestain ordained many English priests. Many churches mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
cite Grestain as the founding establishment.
History
The Abbey was founded in 1050 by Herluin de ContevilleHerluin de Conteville
Herluin de Conteville , also sometimes listed as Herlevin or Herlwin of Conteville, was the stepfather of William the Conqueror, and the father of Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain, both of whom became prominent during William's reign.-Conteville and Sainte-Marie Eglise:No contemporary...
and his wife Arlette
Herleva
Herleva also known as Herleve, Arlette, Arletta and Arlotte, was the mother of William I of England. She had two other sons, Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain, who became prominent in William's realm....
, mother of William the Conqueror.
Herluin, a victim of leprosy, was said to have seen a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who told him to take a spa treatment at the source of the Carbec stream in Grestain (Carbec meaning "the Stream of Kari").
Guéri decided to build an abbey in the nearby Valley of Vilaine
Vilaine
The Vilaine is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne département , and flows out in the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan département . It is 218 km long...
dedicated to the Virgin and a chapel at Carbec, a site also dedicated to the healing spring of Saint-Méen
Saint-Méen
Saint-Méen is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Saint-Méen are called Mévennais.-References:**...
.
Guéri's son, Robert de Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
, half-brother of William, was the principal benefactor, endowing it with his revenues from England.
In 1358, the abbey was sacked by the Anglo-Navarrais. The monks took refuge at their safe house in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, in the parish of Saint-Eloi. Between 15 November 1364 and 10 August 1365, the abbey was attacked once more. On the reutn of the monks, the abbey had been partly destroyed and nearly rased to the ground.
The abbey was officially closed in 1757 on the orders of the bishop. The church buildings were demolished around 1766 and the rest of abbey destroyed in 1790; of these buildings, only a few ruins remain, integrated into the Château de La Pommeraye (a private property): a defensive wall, a 13th-Century portal, an 18th-Century manor with a 13th-Century floor, and remains of the church.
A monunment has been erected to the memory of the founders who were buried in the now defunct church: Arlette, Herluin and Robert de Mortain, as well as Robert's wife, Mathilde de Montgomerie, daughter of Roger de Montgomerie
Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy...
.
Priories of the Abbey
The Abbey had a number of prioriesPriory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
:
- Saint-Astier, DordogneSaint-Astier, DordogneSaint-Astier is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It takes its name from a sixth-century saint.-Population:-References:*...
, founded by Geoffroi, 2nd Abbot of Grestain; - Sainte-Scolasse or Saint-Nicolas-en-Scolasse (Sainte-Scolasse-sur-SartheSainte-Scolasse-sur-SartheSainte-Scolasse-sur-Sarthe is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
), founded by Herluin de Conteville; - Saint-Nicol or Saint-Nicolas-du-Val-de-Claire, in the suburbs of HonfleurHonfleurHonfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
, founded by William the Conqueror.
Bibliographie
- Charles Bréard, L'abbaye de Notre-Dame de Grestain, de l'ordre de Saint-Benoît, à l'ancien diocèse de Lisieux, Rouen: A. Lestringant, 1904.
- Honoré Fisquet, La France pontificale (Gallia christiana), histoire chronologique et biographique des archevêques et évêques de tous les diocèses de France depuis l'établissement du christianisme jusqu'à nos jours, divisée en 17 provinces ecclésiastique. Rouen. Paris: E. Repos, 1864-1873.
- Auguste Le Prévost, Carbec-Grestain dans « Mémoires et notes pour servir à l'histoire du département de l'Eure, Volume 1 », Imprimerie d'Auguste Hérissey, Évreux, 1862, Google Books.
External links
- Official site of Grestain Abbey (English language version)