• Source: Abbey of Saint Wandrille

Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Rives-en-Seine. It was founded in 649 near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.




First foundation


It was founded by Wandregisel (d. 22 July 668, Wandrille in French) and his nephew Godo, on land obtained through the influence of Wandregisel's friend Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen. Wandrille, being of the royal family of Austrasia, held a high position in the court of his kinsman Dagobert I, but wishing to devote his life to God, he retired to the abbey of Montfaucon-d'Argonne, in Champagne, in 629. Later he went to Bobbio Abbey and then to Romainmôtier Abbey, where he remained for ten years. In 648 he returned to Normandy and established the monastery of Fontenelle, using the Rule of Saint Columbanus, which he had known at Bobbio; the deed of gift of the land is dated 1 March 649. It was one of the first Benedictine abbeys in Normandy and part of a powerful network of Carolingian monasteries spread across Normandy.
Wandregisel first built a Carolingian-style basilica dedicated to Saint Peter, nearly 300 feet (91 m) long, which was consecrated by Saint Ouen in 657. (This church was destroyed by fire in 756 and rebuilt by Abbot Ansegisus (823–33), who added a narthex and tower).
The monastery acquired extensive property and was extremely successful at first. In 740 however there began a series of lay abbots, under whom the monastery declined. In 823 Ansegisus, nephew of Abbot Gervold, was appointed abbot of Fontenelle, which he reformed according to the practice at Luxeuil Abbey.
The abbey soon became a target for Viking raids, culminating in that of 9 January 852 when it was burnt down and the monks fled with the relics of Wandrille. After more than a century in temporary accommodation at Chartres, Boulogne, Saint-Omer and Ghent, the community was at length brought back to Fontenelle by Abbot Maynard in 966 and a restoration of the buildings was again undertaken. Richard I of Normandy then sent Maynard to establish the Benedictine Rule at Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey.
A new church was built by Abbot Gérard, but was hardly finished when it was destroyed by lightning in 1012. Undaunted by this disaster the monks once more set to work and another church was consecrated in 1033. Two centuries later, in 1250, this was burnt to the ground, but Abbot Pierre Mauviel at once began a new one. The work was hampered by lack of funds and it was not until 1331 that the building was finished.




= Monks and arts

=

Meanwhile, the monastery attained a position of great importance and celebrity for the fervour and learning of its monks, who during the periods of its greatest prosperity numbered over 300. It was especially noted for its library and school, where letters, the fine arts, the sciences, and above all calligraphy, were cultivated.
One of the most notable of its early copyists was Harduin (Haduin), a mathematician (died 811) who wrote with his own hand four copies of the Gospels, one of Paul the Apostle's Epistles, a psalter, three sacramentaries, and many other volumes of homilies and lives of the saints, besides numerous mathematical works. The Capitularia regum Francorum, a collection of royal capitularies, was compiled under Abbot Ansegisus in the 9th century, who also commissioned a chronicle of the abbey, the Gesta abbatum Fontanellensium.
The monks of Fontenelle enjoyed many rights and privileges, among which were exemption from all river-tolls on the Seine, and the right to exact taxes in the town of Caudebec. The charter dated 1319 in which were enumerated their chief privileges, was confirmed by Henry V of England and Normandy in 1420, and by the Council of Basle in 1436.
Some of the burials at the abbey are

Condedus (Conde), a 7th-century exile from England who became a monk
Wando, Abbot, died around 756 AD
Fulk of Fontenelle, 21st Abbot of Fontenelle
Harduin of Fontenelle, died c. 811 AD
Bagnus (Bagne), a monk, then Bishop of Therouanne, then Abbot of Fontenelle later in life. Died c. 710
Girald, a monk and then the Abbot of Saint Arnoul. He was asked by the Duke of Normandy to be the Abbot of Fontenelle. He was very exacting and was later murdered by one of his monks
Joseph Pothier, Abbot of St Wandrille Abbey and scholar who reconstituted the Gregorian chant.




= Decline and suppression

=
Commendatory abbots were introduced at Fontenelle in the 16th century and as a result the prosperity of the abbey began to decline. In 1631 the central tower of the church suddenly fell, ruining all the adjacent parts, but fortunately without injuring the beautiful cloisters or the conventual buildings.
It was just at this time that the newly formed Congregation of Saint Maur was reviving the monasticism of France, and the commendatory abbot Ferdinand de Neufville invited them to take over the abbey and do for it what he himself was unable to accomplish. They accepted the offer, and in 1636 began major building works. Not only did they restore the damaged portion of the church, but they added new wings and gateways and also built a great chapter-hall for the meetings of the general chapter of the Maurist congregation. They gave the abbey new life, which lasted for the next hundred and fifty years.
During the French Revolution in 1791 Fontenelle was suppressed, and in the following year the property was sold by auction. The church was partially demolished, but the rest of the buildings served for some time as a factory and later passed into the possession of the de Stacpoole family, to be turned to domestic uses.




Second foundation


George Stanislaus, 3rd Duke de Stacpoole, who had become a priest and a domestic prelate of the pope, and who lived at Fontenelle until his death in 1896, restored the entire property to the French Benedictines (Solesmes Congregation), and a colony of monks from Ligugé Abbey settled there in 1893, under Joseph Pothier as superior. Pothier, a scholar who reconstituted the Gregorian chant, later was elected abbot of Saint Wandrille, becoming upon his installation on 24 July 1898 its first abbot since the French Revolution and its first regular abbot since the 16th century.
This community was expelled under the "Association Laws" by the French government in 1901, and spent years in Belgium until they were able to return on 26 January 1931, where they have remained until the present.
From 1907 until 1914, the abbey was rented by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, who lived there during the warmer months of the year with his lover, Georgette Leblanc. During the official visit of the British royal family to France, Queen Mary visited the monastery on 12 July 1917.




Buildings



Besides the chief basilica, Wandrille built seven other churches or oratories both inside and outside the monastic enclosure. All of these have either perished in the course of time, or been replaced by others of later date, except for the chapel of St Saturnin, which stands on the hillside overlooking the abbey. It is one of the most ancient ecclesiastical buildings now existing and, though restored from time to time, is still substantially the original construction of Wandrille. It is cruciform, with a central tower and eastern apse, and is a unique example of a 7th-century chapel.
In 1954, in the course of a treasure hunt, some young local scouts discovered three buried urns near a wall close to the chapel. The urns contained a total of about 500 gold coins, the latest dated 1748. The treasure was split between the abbey, as the property owner, and the parents of the boys. The abbey sold its share and used the proceeds to rebuild the outbuildings that had burned downed shortly after.
The parish church of the village of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon also dates from the saint's time, but it has been so altered and restored that little of the original structure remains.
The buildings were damaged by bombing in 1944. A new abbey church was consecrated on 12 September 1970.




Monks


Fontenelle has produced an unusually large number of saints and the blessed. The calendar of the present monastery records thirty, from the founders Wandrille and Gond to Louis Lebrun, martyred in 1794 during the Revolution. All have their own feast days, but 1 March (also the date of the foundation) is the feast of all the saints of Fontenelle.
The present abbot, Nault (succeeding to Pierre Massein in 2009), is the 82nd in line from Wandrille to hold the position.




List of abbots and priors






= Abbots

=
Wandrille, 649-668
Lambert of Lyon, 668–678, later bishop of Lyon
Ansbert of Rouen, 678–690, bishop of Rouen
Hildebert I, 694-701
Bain, 701-710
Bénigne, 710–716, and 719-724
Wandon, 716–719, and 747-754
Hugh of Champagne, 719-723
Landon, 732-735
Teutsind, abbot of Fontenelle and Saint Martin, Tours, 735–741.
Wido, lay abbot, also abbot of Saint-Vaast, 742-744
Rainfroy, 744–748, archbishop of Rouen
Austrulfus, 748-753
Witlaïc, 753-787
Gervold, previously bishop of Évreux, 787-806
Trasaire, 806-817
Hildebert II, 817-818
Einhard, lay abbot, 818-823
Ansegisus, 823-833
Joseph I, 833–834, again in 841
Foulques, 834-841
Herimbert, 841-850
Louis (abbot of Saint-Denis) (d. 9 January 867; relative and arch-chancellor of Charles the Bald), 850-867
vacant (in manu regis), 867-886
Ebles, 886-892
Womar, 950-960
Maynard, who left Saint Wandrille to become the first abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel, 960-966
?
Ensulbert or Enjoubert, c. 980-993
?
Gerard, 1006-1029
Gradulphe, 1029-1048
Robert I, 1048-1063
Gerbert, 1063-1089
Lanfranc, nephew of Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, 1089-1091
Gerard II (1091-1125)
Alain (1125-1137)
Gautier (1137-1150)
Roger (1150-1165)
Anfroy (1165-1178)
Gautier II (1178-1187)
Geoffroy I (1187-1193)
Robert II (1193-1194)
Reginald (1194-1207)
Robert III de Montivilliers (1207-1219)
Guillaume I de Bray (1219-1235)
Guillaume de Suille, elected in 1235
Robert IV d'Hautonne, 1235-1244
Pierre Mauviel, 1244-1254
Geoffroy II de Nointot, 1254-1288
Guillaume II de Norville, 1288-1304
Guillaume III de La Douillé, 1304-1342
Jean I de Saint-Léger, 1342-1344
Richard de Chantemerle, 1344-1345
Robert V Balbet, 1345-1362
Geoffroy III Savary, 1362-1367
Geoffroy IV de Hotot, 1367-1389
Jean II de Rochois, 1389-1412
Guillaume de Hotot, elected in 1410
Jean III de Bouquetot, bishop of Bayeux, 1412-1418
Jean Langret, beneficiary abbot, 1418-1419
Nicolas Lovier, beneficiary abbot, 1419
Guillaume IV Ferrechat, 1419-1430
Jean IV de Bourbon, 1431-1444
Jean de Brametot, 1444-1483
André d'Espinay, commendatory abbot, archbishop of Bordeaux, 1483-1500
Urbain de Fiesque, papal appointee, 1483-1485
Jean VI Mallet, elected in 1500, not confirmed
Philip of Cleves, commendatory abbot, 1502-1505
Jacques Hommet, last regular abbot, 1505-1523
François Guillaume de Castelnau-Clermont-Lodève, papal appointee, rejected
Claude de Poitiers, commendatory abbot, 1523-1546
Michel Bayard, commendatory abbot, 1546-1565
Gilles Duret, temporary governor, 1565-1567
Pierre II Gourreau, commendatory abbot, 1567-1569
Charles de Bourbon, commendatory abbot, 1569-1578
Gilles de Vaugirault, commendatory abbot, 1578-1585
Nicolas de Neufville, commendatory abbot, 1585-1616
Camille de Neufville de Villeroy, commendatory abbot, 1616-1622
Ferdinand de Neufville de Villeroy, commendatory abbot, 1622-1690
Balthazar-Henry de Fourcy, commendatory abbot, 1690-1754
vacancy 1754–1755
Frédéric Jérôme de La Rochefoucauld, commendatory abbot, 1755-1757
Louis-Sextius de Jarente de La Bruyère, commendatory abbot, 1757-1785
Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne, commendatory abbot, 1785-1790



Restoration of 1894

After the restoration of religious life in 1894, Jean-Martial Besse and François Chamard were named superiors, after which Joseph Bourigaud, the abbot of Ligugé Abbey, was named apostolic administrator in 1895 until the nomination of an abbot in 1898.

Joseph Pothier, sub-prior of Solesmes Abbey, then prior of Ligugé, superior (1895-1898) and abbot of Saint-Wandrille 1898–1923 (the first abbot since the abbey was suppressed in the French Revolution and the first regular abbot since Jacques Hommet in the 16th century)
Jean-Louis Pierdait, claustral prior of Silos Abbey, coadjutor of Pothier (1920-1923), abbot 1923–1942
Gabriel Gonthard, abbot 1943–1962
Ignace Dalle, abbot 1962–1969
Antoine Levasseur, abbot 1969–1996
Pierre III Massein, abbot 1996–2009
Jean-Charles Nault, abbot from 2009




= Priors

=
Genesius of Lyon, prior around 650, later almoner of Balthild of Chelles
Guillaume Girard, prior of Jumièges Abbey, and administrator of Saint-Wandrille, 1636
Philippe Codebret, sub-prior, 1636
Paul de Riveri, 1636–1637
Charles Fuscien de Lattre, 1637–1639
Hervé Philibert Cotelle, 1639–1645
Jacques Aicadre Picard, 1645–1651
Guillaume Benoît Bonté, 1651–1652
Jean Timothée Bourgeois, 1652–1656
Jean Bernard Hamelin, 1656–1660
Martin Bruno Valles, 1660–1663
Jean Matthieu Jouault, 1663–1666
Vincent Humery, 1666–1669
René Anselme des Rousseaux, 1669–1670
Edme du Monceau, sub-prior, 1669–1670
Pierre Laurent Hunault, 1670–1674
Pierre Boniface Le Tan, 1674–1675
Claude Carrel, 1675–1678
Marc Rivard, 1678–1684
Pierre Noblet, 1684
Gabriel Dudan, 1684–1687
Guillaume Hue, 1687–1693
Robert Deslandes, 1693
Nicolas Sacquespée, 1693–1696
Gabriel Pouget, 1696–1699
Claude Hémin, 1699–1705
Jean-Baptiste Jouault, 1705
Jacques Joseph Le Paulmier, 1705–1711
Pierre Chevillart, 1711–1714
Martin Filland, 1714–1717
Louis Clouet, 1717–1723
François L'héritier, 1723–1729
Jean Foulques, 1729–1733
Louis Barbe, 1733-1739 and 1740–1745
Pierre Eudes, 1739–1740
Jean Lefebvre, 1745–1748
Jacques Martin Le Sec, 1748–1752
Jean-Baptiste Duval, 1752–1757
François René Desmares, 1757–1761
Nicolas Faverotte, 1761–1768
Louis Valincourt, 1768-1769 and 1775–1778
Noël Nicolas Bourdon, 1769–1775
Philippe Nicolas Dupont, 1778–1781
Jean François Daspres, 1781–1783
Mathurin François Brissier, sub-prior, 1783
Alexandre-Jean Ruault, 1783-1790
Joseph Pothier, 1895




See also



List of Carolingian monasteries
Carolingian architecture
Carolingian art




References






Sources


Patrick Leigh Fermor (2007). A Time to Keep Silence. New York: NYRB. ISBN 1-59017-244-2 (Originally published: London: Queen Anne Press, 1953).




External links


This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Abbey of Fontenelle". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Abbey website
Pothier biography in French

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Abbey of Saint Wandrille
• Ligugé Abbey
• Fontenelle Abbey (disambiguation)
• Wandregisel
• Saint-Wandrille-Rançon
• Saint Bain
• Ansbert of Rouen
• Annals of Fontenelle
• Joseph Pothier
• Carolingian dynasty