Bellebranche Monastery
| Bellebranche Cistercian Abbey | |
|---|---|
| location |
 Franceregion Pays de la Loire, Mayenne department |
| Coordinates: | 47 ° 52 '46 " N , 0 ° 26' 25" W |
| Serial number according to Janauschek |
337 (or 389) |
| Patronage | St. Mary |
| founding year | 1152 |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1686 |
| Mother monastery | Le Loroux Monastery |
| Primary Abbey | Citeaux monastery |
|
Daughter monasteries |
no |
The Bellebranche Monastery (Bella branca) is a former Cistercian abbey in the commune of Saint-Brice in the Mayenne department , Pays de la Loire region , in France , around 20 km east of Château-Gontier .
history
The monastery was founded in 1152 on the basis of a donation from Robert III. built by Sablé and manned by monks from the Le Loroux monastery . Thus it belonged to the filiation of the Cîteaux monastery . It quickly became the richest monastery in Anjou and Maine . It had seven ponds, forests, estates, dairies and other possessions as well as a town house and a college in Angers . In the armed conflict with England around 1450, the monastery was ruined and the monks withdrew to the castle of Sablé. In 1552 it fell in Kommende , and in 1567 it was sacked by the Huguenots . The remains of the monastery were given to the Jesuits of the College of La Flèche in 1607 at the instigation of Henri IV . After some quarrels, the monastery came to an end under canon law in 1686. In 1793 and 1794 the monastery buildings were sold.
Buildings and plant
Towards the end of the 19th century, a castle was built on the remains of the abbot's house. The gate chapel and a Romanesque building (probably the Konversenflügel and refectory ; Monument historique ) have been preserved.
literature
- Bernard Peugniez: Routier cistercien. Abbayes et sites. France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse. Nouvelle édition augmentée. Éditions Gaud, Moisenay 2001, ISBN 2-84080-044-6 , p. 348.