Arrouaise (Abbey and Order)
Encyclopedia
The Abbey of Arrouaise was the centre of a form of the Augustinian monastic rule
, the Arrouaisian Order, which was popular among the founders of abbeys during the decade of the 1130s. The community began to develop when Heldemar joined the hermit
Ruggerius in 1090 but its first abbot
, elected in 1121, was called Gervaise. He impressed people who had the wealth sufficient to found an abbey, who usually had the secular power likely to go with their landed wealth.
had originated as a hermitage. That had developed into a community which adopted the task of providing a service to travellers through the then, great Forest
of Arrouaise in Artois
. The order of Arrouaise was differentiated from others by being basically that of St. Augustine with the more restrained approach of the Cistercians as a guide to its more austere philosophy. In general, as time passed, the distinction between the Augustinian and Arrouaisian orders was less likely to be made, so that now, as in their later years of life, Arrouaisian houses are often referred to as being houses of Augustinian Canons Regular
.
The forest was in the form of a belt extending westwards from the Forest of The Ardennes
, to the north of the town of St. Quentin and towards the town of Bapaume
. It is now largely felled. Traffic passed through the forest, in many cases along the remaining lines of Roman road
s. The routes were important commercially and diplomatically for traffic between Paris
and Flanders
, also between England
and Burgundy
. It will have been mainly by this route that the English and Western Flemings went to Rome
on pilgrim
ages and diplomatic
journeys.
The abbey elected its first abbot, Gervaise in 1121 and was suppressed in 1790 during the course of the French Revolution.
or, by extension, with Artois
, but in the 20th century, at least, these adjectives were respectively 'arrageois' and 'artesian'. However, within the appropriate area and in the higher land between the sources of rivers such as the Somme
, Sambre
and Escaut, there is a hamlet called l’Arrouaise. It lies at the end of a turning off a back road, the D272 (département of Aisne
), 11.5 km south-east of the place known to British military historians as Le Cateau
. The out-of-the-way position of l'Arrouaise would have been appropriate to the hermitage origins but would not be convenient in developing the tradition of service to travellers.
There was a small abbey, founded in the 11th century, "in the middle of the Forest of Arrouaise", at Aubencheul-aux-Bois
near the N44 and about halfway between Cambrai and St. Quentin. It lies between Mesnil-en-Arrouaise
(10 km SE of Bapaume) and Montigny-en-Arrouaise
(15 km ENE of St. Quentin). Auboncheul lies on the border between Picardy and Hainaut as represented by the départements of Aisne and Nord. This site, on the St Quentin to Cambrai road, is much better suited to serving travellers, being on both the Paris to Mechelen and the London to Dijon roads. That means the France to Flanders and England to Burgundy diplomatic routes, as well as that from England and western Flanders to Rome. Besides these, the commercial traffic between Italy and Flanders grew in importance during the medieval period. Both Cambrai and St. Quentin were part of it. Four kilometres to the south of Aubencheul, at Gouy which used to be called Gouy en Arrouaise, (Click on Pienne on this map) the Michelin 1:200 000 map shows an abbey ruin, at the source of the Escaut. The two are likely to be one and known as Mont Saint Martin. This does not fit with the foundation charters of Bourne and Missenden Abbeys in each of which the dedication of Arrouaise is given as being to St. Nicholas. Although this abbey may not be Arrouaise, it looks like part of the same pattern, as the story of St.Martin
goes with the service to wayfarers.
For a clear statement of the site of the abbey we must stay with the Cassini map of the Cambrai region. When compared with a modern map, for example the Michelin 1:200 000, the abbey site falls just to the east of the St Quentin to Arras road, N17
as it crosses the border between the départements of Pas-de-Calais and Somme
. It lies to the south of the D19 road to Rocquigny and very close to the Autoroute
A2.
There is an aerial photograph
of the site as a soil mark
in a gallery on the French Ministry of Culture site. It is not very clear but if the grey line across the foreground is the N17 and given the angle of elevation and bearing of the sun it is; the Abbey lay in a rectangular compound, hard by the road on its eastern side. The axis of the photograph's view is close to 70°, that is 20° north of eastwards.
Compare this with a satellite view of the vicinity. The village in the north-west is Le Transloy, on the N17 and in the north-east, Rocquigny. The relationship between the N17 and the field boundaries indicates that the site now lies immediately to the north of the autoroute, A2 which abuts the right-hand edge of the former abbey's close, passing just outside it and leaving the ministry's picture through the top edge. The top right extremity of the picture is now on the far side of the autoroute.
This comparison of views draws attention to the very significant foreshortening in the ministry’s obliquely-taken photograph. It is therefore reasonable to see the pale patch in the strip of the site to the left as the abbey church, with the cloister just beyond the small modern building and accommodation for travellers occupying half the total width of the site, down to the southern boundary. The clarity of the soil mark varies with the modern use of the land. The lodgings appear to have been outside the canons' quarters and along the sides of a long, north-to-south courtyard.
Governance
Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes...
, the Arrouaisian Order, which was popular among the founders of abbeys during the decade of the 1130s. The community began to develop when Heldemar joined the hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
Ruggerius in 1090 but its first abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, elected in 1121, was called Gervaise. He impressed people who had the wealth sufficient to found an abbey, who usually had the secular power likely to go with their landed wealth.
Origins
The abbeyAbbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
had originated as a hermitage. That had developed into a community which adopted the task of providing a service to travellers through the then, great Forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
of Arrouaise in Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
. The order of Arrouaise was differentiated from others by being basically that of St. Augustine with the more restrained approach of the Cistercians as a guide to its more austere philosophy. In general, as time passed, the distinction between the Augustinian and Arrouaisian orders was less likely to be made, so that now, as in their later years of life, Arrouaisian houses are often referred to as being houses of Augustinian Canons Regular
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
.
The forest was in the form of a belt extending westwards from the Forest of The Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
, to the north of the town of St. Quentin and towards the town of Bapaume
Bapaume
Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...
. It is now largely felled. Traffic passed through the forest, in many cases along the remaining lines of Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
s. The routes were important commercially and diplomatically for traffic between Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, also between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
. It will have been mainly by this route that the English and Western Flemings went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
ages and diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
journeys.
The abbey elected its first abbot, Gervaise in 1121 and was suppressed in 1790 during the course of the French Revolution.
Geography
On the whole, scholars seem rather vague about where the abbey itself was. It is possible that 'arrouaise' is an adjective indicating a connection with ArrasArras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
or, by extension, with Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
, but in the 20th century, at least, these adjectives were respectively 'arrageois' and 'artesian'. However, within the appropriate area and in the higher land between the sources of rivers such as the Somme
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
, Sambre
Sambre
The Sambre is a river in northern France and Wallonia, southern Belgium, left tributary of the Meuse River. The ancient Romans called the river Sabis.-Course:...
and Escaut, there is a hamlet called l’Arrouaise. It lies at the end of a turning off a back road, the D272 (département of Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
), 11.5 km south-east of the place known to British military historians as Le Cateau
Le Cateau-Cambrésis
Le Cateau-Cambrésis is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.The term Cambrésis indicates that it lies in the county of that name which fell to the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai.-History:...
. The out-of-the-way position of l'Arrouaise would have been appropriate to the hermitage origins but would not be convenient in developing the tradition of service to travellers.
There was a small abbey, founded in the 11th century, "in the middle of the Forest of Arrouaise", at Aubencheul-aux-Bois
Aubencheul-aux-Bois
Aubencheul-aux-Bois is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
near the N44 and about halfway between Cambrai and St. Quentin. It lies between Mesnil-en-Arrouaise
Mesnil-en-Arrouaise
Mesnil-en-Arrouaise is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D172 road, some southwest of Cambrai, in the ancient region of the Arrouaise, which, to the Romans, was a forest-frontier.....
(10 km SE of Bapaume) and Montigny-en-Arrouaise
Montigny-en-Arrouaise
Montigny-en-Arrouaise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
(15 km ENE of St. Quentin). Auboncheul lies on the border between Picardy and Hainaut as represented by the départements of Aisne and Nord. This site, on the St Quentin to Cambrai road, is much better suited to serving travellers, being on both the Paris to Mechelen and the London to Dijon roads. That means the France to Flanders and England to Burgundy diplomatic routes, as well as that from England and western Flanders to Rome. Besides these, the commercial traffic between Italy and Flanders grew in importance during the medieval period. Both Cambrai and St. Quentin were part of it. Four kilometres to the south of Aubencheul, at Gouy which used to be called Gouy en Arrouaise, (Click on Pienne on this map) the Michelin 1:200 000 map shows an abbey ruin, at the source of the Escaut. The two are likely to be one and known as Mont Saint Martin. This does not fit with the foundation charters of Bourne and Missenden Abbeys in each of which the dedication of Arrouaise is given as being to St. Nicholas. Although this abbey may not be Arrouaise, it looks like part of the same pattern, as the story of St.Martin
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
goes with the service to wayfarers.
For a clear statement of the site of the abbey we must stay with the Cassini map of the Cambrai region. When compared with a modern map, for example the Michelin 1:200 000, the abbey site falls just to the east of the St Quentin to Arras road, N17
Route nationale (France)
A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
as it crosses the border between the départements of Pas-de-Calais and Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
. It lies to the south of the D19 road to Rocquigny and very close to the Autoroute
Autoroutes of France
The Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...
A2.
There is an aerial photograph
Aerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from altitude.The advantages of gaining a good aerial view of the ground had been long appreciated by archaeologists as a high viewpoint permits a better appreciation of fine details and their relationships within the wider...
of the site as a soil mark
Soil mark
Soil marks are differences in soil colour as a result of archaeological features. They can be seen when a ploughed out earthwork has left hard dry material of a former bank and damper wetter material from a former ditch. They can also occur when a feature has cut through the top soil to reveal...
in a gallery on the French Ministry of Culture site. It is not very clear but if the grey line across the foreground is the N17 and given the angle of elevation and bearing of the sun it is; the Abbey lay in a rectangular compound, hard by the road on its eastern side. The axis of the photograph's view is close to 70°, that is 20° north of eastwards.
Compare this with a satellite view of the vicinity. The village in the north-west is Le Transloy, on the N17 and in the north-east, Rocquigny. The relationship between the N17 and the field boundaries indicates that the site now lies immediately to the north of the autoroute, A2 which abuts the right-hand edge of the former abbey's close, passing just outside it and leaving the ministry's picture through the top edge. The top right extremity of the picture is now on the far side of the autoroute.
This comparison of views draws attention to the very significant foreshortening in the ministry’s obliquely-taken photograph. It is therefore reasonable to see the pale patch in the strip of the site to the left as the abbey church, with the cloister just beyond the small modern building and accommodation for travellers occupying half the total width of the site, down to the southern boundary. The clarity of the soil mark varies with the modern use of the land. The lodgings appear to have been outside the canons' quarters and along the sides of a long, north-to-south courtyard.
Archived web link
AUTHORNAME. TITLE. . 2010-03-15. URL:http://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/arcnat/aerien/en/decou6-pg4.htm. Accessed: 2010-03-15. (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5oFrNBZUs)In England
- Bourne AbbeyBourne AbbeyBourne Abbey and the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a scheduled Grade I church in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. The building remains in parochial use, despite the 16th century Dissolution, as the nave was used by the parish, probably from the time of the foundation of the abbey in...
(SS Peter and Paul) - Beaulieu
- Carlisle CathedralCarlisle CathedralThe Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
- Dorchester AbbeyDorchester AbbeyDorchester Abbey is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the site of a Saxon cathedral.-History:...
, OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(St. Peter) - Lesnes AbbeyLesnes AbbeyLesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a scheduled ancient monument and the adjacent park and heath are a Site of Special Scientific Interest...
- Lilleshall AbbeyLilleshall AbbeyLilleshall Abbey was an abbey in Shropshire, England.The religious order was originally founded in 1143 moved to Lilleshall from Dorchester Abbey in 1148.The Abbey was founded by Richard de Belmeis for canons of the Augustinian Order of Aras...
- Missenden AbbeyMissenden AbbeyMissenden Abbey was an Augustinian monastery founded in 1133 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It was ruined in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the ruins later incorporated into a Georgian mansion.The abbey has been owned by Buckinghamshire New University since the mid...
- Notley Abbey (SS Mary and John the Baptist)
- Warter
External links
- Canons Regular of Arrouaise
- click here and scroll to Blesseds of the Canons Regular then click Heldemar
- http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chrisdave.davies/Biography.htmlan Arrouaisian house in LutonLutonLuton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
] - http://www.roffe.freeserve.co.uk/bourne.htman Arrouaisian house in LincolnshireLincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England] more on Bourne Abbey - http://www.oahs.org.uk/oxo/vol%206/Pantin.docArrouaisian houses in OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England] - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=39928an Arrouaisian house in ShropshireShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
] - an Arrouaisian house in Ireland See Reform and Change. more on Arrouaisians in Ireland
- click and scroll to 122 Arrouaisian influence was still alive in the late eighteenth century.
Learned paper index
- Analecta Praemonstratensia article [use Edit/Find Arrouaise]
- The Abbé Bédu's History of Bapaume: published 1865, in French. See particularly Chapter III.