Barbeau Abbey
Encyclopedia
Barbeau Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Fontaine-le-Port
in the Seine-et-Marne
department, France
. It was located about 10 kilometres north-east of Fontainebleau
and 8 kilometres south-east of Melun
.
on the banks of the Seine
, whence the original name Seine-Port, or Sequanae Portus in Latin. It was transferred to its present site in 1156. The present name is supposed to derive from the French word for the barbel, the fish, which is also depicted in the abbey's arms. According to the foundation legend, the reason for this is that a barbel was fished out of the Seine and found to contain a ring mounted with a precious stone, lost by Saint Loup as he crossed the river, the sale of which raised the funds to build the monastery.
In 1180 Louis VII, the founder, was buried in the abbey; his bones were transferred to St. Denis' Abbey in 1817.
The abbey prospered until the Hundred Years' War
. In about 1420 the monks were driven out of the abbey and spent the next 40 years in Melun. After their return in 1460 the monastery was restored and enlarged. The abbey suffered further damage in the Wars of Religion
. Under the commendatory abbot
Cardinal Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg the church was again restored.
The abbey was suppressed in 1791 during the French Revolution
and set on fire in 1793 by the Sansculottes. The state bought the remaining buildings back in 1810 for use as an orphanage, but sold them in 1837 to a private owner, who demolished them and built a country house on the site. A riding school now occupies the remainder of the site.
has preserved some 16th century wooden sculptures from the abbey church, and a chapel in the same village is also said once to have been the abbey's. The church of Héricy
owns an 18th century altar from the monastery.
Fontaine-le-Port
Fontaine-le-Port is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Demographics:Fontaine-le-Port has a population of approximately 800. Inhabitants of Fontaine-le-Port are called Portifontains. There is a train station with trains direct to Gare de...
in the Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
department, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was located about 10 kilometres north-east of Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
and 8 kilometres south-east of Melun
Melun
Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement...
.
History
Barbeau Abbey was founded in 1147 by King Louis VII of FranceLouis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
on the banks of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, whence the original name Seine-Port, or Sequanae Portus in Latin. It was transferred to its present site in 1156. The present name is supposed to derive from the French word for the barbel, the fish, which is also depicted in the abbey's arms. According to the foundation legend, the reason for this is that a barbel was fished out of the Seine and found to contain a ring mounted with a precious stone, lost by Saint Loup as he crossed the river, the sale of which raised the funds to build the monastery.
In 1180 Louis VII, the founder, was buried in the abbey; his bones were transferred to St. Denis' Abbey in 1817.
The abbey prospered until the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. In about 1420 the monks were driven out of the abbey and spent the next 40 years in Melun. After their return in 1460 the monastery was restored and enlarged. The abbey suffered further damage in the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
. Under the commendatory abbot
Commendatory abbot
A commendatory abbot is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey in commendam, drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline...
Cardinal Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg the church was again restored.
The abbey was suppressed in 1791 during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and set on fire in 1793 by the Sansculottes. The state bought the remaining buildings back in 1810 for use as an orphanage, but sold them in 1837 to a private owner, who demolished them and built a country house on the site. A riding school now occupies the remainder of the site.
Buildings
There are few remains of the abbey apart from an ice-cellar. The church of Fontaine-le-PortFontaine-le-Port
Fontaine-le-Port is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Demographics:Fontaine-le-Port has a population of approximately 800. Inhabitants of Fontaine-le-Port are called Portifontains. There is a train station with trains direct to Gare de...
has preserved some 16th century wooden sculptures from the abbey church, and a chapel in the same village is also said once to have been the abbey's. The church of Héricy
Héricy
Héricy is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
owns an 18th century altar from the monastery.