Bourras Abbey
Encyclopedia
Bourras Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the commune of Saint-Malo-en-Donziois
in Nièvre
, Burgundy, France
. It was situated about 26 km to the north-east of La Charité-sur-Loire
on a tributary of the River Nièvre
.
, and his wife Alix of Montenoison as the first daughter house of Pontigny Abbey
. It became the burial place of several of the lords of Montenoison
. It established one daughter house of its own, Chalivoy Abbey.
At the end of the Middle Ages the monastery was held in commendam
. During the French Wars of Religion
the abbey was burnt down in 1568 by the troops of Wolfgang of Pfalz-Zweibrücken.
The abbey, by that time housing only three monks, was suppressed during the French Revolution
in 1791.
survives, and has been converted into a large country house, and the former monastic estate is still farmed. Near the house three arcades of the cloister have been set up. Bases and cpaitals of the pillars from the church nave have also been discovered. The choir screen of the abbey church is now in the parish church of Varzy
.
Saint-Malo-en-Donziois
Saint-Malo-en-Donziois is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-References:*...
in Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Burgundy, 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 situated about 26 km to the north-east of La Charité-sur-Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-History:The town began as the first of the Cluniac priories on an island site in the Loire....
on a tributary of the River Nièvre
Nièvre (Loire)
The Nièvre is a river in central France, a right tributary of the Loire. It flows through the département Nièvre.Its source in Champlemy. It flows generally south, through Guérigny, Urzy, and empties into the Loire in the town centre of Nevers....
.
History
The abbey was founded in 1119 by Hugues of Thil, lord of ChamplemyChamplemy
Champlemy is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 323. On 1 January 2004, the estimate was 336.-References:*...
, and his wife Alix of Montenoison as the first daughter house of Pontigny Abbey
Pontigny Abbey
Pontigny Abbey, founded in 1114 as the second of the four great daughter houses of Cîteaux Abbey, was a Cistercian monastery situated in the commune of Pontigny, on the River Serein, in the present diocese of Sens and department of Yonne, in Burgundy, France.-History:Hildebert , a canon of...
. It became the burial place of several of the lords of Montenoison
Montenoison
Montenoison is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-References:*...
. It established one daughter house of its own, Chalivoy Abbey.
At the end of the Middle Ages the monastery was held in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
. During the French 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...
the abbey was burnt down in 1568 by the troops of Wolfgang of Pfalz-Zweibrücken.
The abbey, by that time housing only three monks, was suppressed 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...
in 1791.
Buildings
The house of the commendatory abbotCommendatory 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...
survives, and has been converted into a large country house, and the former monastic estate is still farmed. Near the house three arcades of the cloister have been set up. Bases and cpaitals of the pillars from the church nave have also been discovered. The choir screen of the abbey church is now in the parish church of Varzy
Varzy
Varzy is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 1303. On 1 January 2005, the estimate was 1359.-External links:* * * * *...
.