Valmont Abbey

The Abbey of Notre -Dame-du -Pré de Valmont, also known as Sainte -Marie de Valmont, is a Benedictine abbey in the French community Valmont in the Seine -Maritime. The abbey was piecewise 1951, 1965 and 1995 registered in the list of Monuments historiques.

History

The abbey was founded in 1169 by Nicolas d' Estouteville and staffed by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Hambye; at no time more than 25 monks lived at the same time in this monastery. Valmont was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, completed the monastery church until the 16th century.

The convent buildings were up in 1682 on the orders of Kommendatarabtes Louis de La Fayette ( 1634-1729 ) built in 1676, which also tries to introduce the 1680 Maurists reform, but which was enforced until 1754. 1789, the abbey was dissolved in 1791 the buildings were sold to private individuals.

In the 19th century Eugène Delacroix, the Ruines de l' abbaye de Valmont painted, the image is now in the Louvre.

In 1994, the abbey was revitalized with Benedictine nuns from the monastery of Notre- Dame-du -Pré de Lisieux. The new church was consecrated in 2004.

Architecture

From the built in pure Renaissance style church whose nave collapsed in 1730, there are only ruins of the choir and in 1520 built a chapel dedicated to the Mother of God in the church choir. The chapel is better than six- clock - chapel ( Chapelle de Six Heures ) is known because it was used to read the first trade of the day. Here are the tombs of the Lords of Estouteville and their wives from the 15th and 16th centuries. The stained glass windows from 1552 to Germain Pilon attributed; they are now in the Musée Departmental of antiquités in Rouen.