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A little history of Reigny abbey

General view | Patrick89 / CC-BY-SA
Abbey Cistercian Reigny abbey

Once upon a time, in 1104... Two hermits, Girard and Guérin, retired in a small valley called Fontenoy, in order to meditate. Monks joined the two saints and the little group began to raise a Cistercian monastery.

Bernard de Clairvaux sent one of his monk, Etienne de Toucy: he became abbot, and decided to move the abbey on the river Cure's banks!

Building works began and continued during the 12th and the 13th centuries.

In the beginning, kings and lords made the abbey richer: duke of Burgundy, count of Auxerre... So Reigny owned huge lands, several barns raised in all Burgundy. Monks could provide for needs; they had wells, vegetable plots, bakeries...

But quickly the waning began. During the Hundred Years War, the English plundered the monastery and all the metairies, in 1358. Monks were definitively ruined... The abbey was in ruin.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the owner demolished the church, the chapter room and the cloister. Fortunately, we can visit the dormitory, the refectory and the dovecote.

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!