The Abbey of Notre-Dame-de-Ré, known as the Châteliers,
The Abbey of Notre-Dame-de-Ré, known as the Châteliers, is a former Cistercian abbey now ruined. The abbey has had a rather turbulent history, and an end comparable to many other religious establishments in the region. It was founded in the 1150s by a group of Cistercian monks accompanied by their abbot, after agreement of the local lord, Elbe de Mauléon. At the end of 1166, Isaac, abbot of the Star at Archigny, near Châtellerault, having sided with Archbishop Thomas Becket, had to take refuge there for seven The buildings are established on the current site, near a stronghold that will then be demolished. The monastery will then gradually take off and govern most of the land of the island. The current ruins, however, date only from the fourteenth century. Indeed, the abbey was destroyed for the first time in 1294 by the English fleet, then rebuilt. It was again partially destroyed twice during the Hundred Years War: in 1388, then again in 1462. This time the damage was more serious and led to a general repair, including the abbey church of Notre-Dame. Finally, in 1574, during the Wars of Religion, the Huguenots ravaged the buildings, which were then abandoned by the Cistercian monks. In 1625, part of the stones of the monastery will be used for the construction of the nearby Fort La Prée. The rest of the ruins were placed under the jurisdiction of the Oratorians, who transformed the choir of the old abbey into a chapel and dedicated it to Saint Lawrence, a status it retained until 1793. The ruins will then gradually deteriorate, but their use as bitter for boats (the facade of the abbey will be painted for a long time in black and white) leads to regular restoration campaigns. The abbey was restored in 1997 by the General Council of Charente-Maritime.
Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: La Flotte, Ile de Re, Nouvelle Aquitaine, France
Photo credit: © Roger Hollingsworth / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: abbaye, abbey, chateliers, cistercian, de, des, elbe, flotte, france, ile, la, lord, maulé., monastery, monk, ruin
