Little histories about Fontgombault abbey
And also
The tops
Gombault and his fountain
In the middle of nowhere, the Benedictine abbey of Fontgombault was founded in the middle of the 10th century.
At that time, monk Gombault moved in a cave, near the location of our current abbey.
He lived there without ceremony, made miracles and attract disciples.
A fountain was named after him, fons Gombaldi, which means ″Gombault’s fountain″... Fontgombault.
The rule of a star
At the end of the 11th century, hermit Pierre de l’Etoile arrived and founded a small chapel dedicated to Saint-Julien.
Pierre was a noble man. Tired of the royal Court’s vices and plots, he decided to devote to God. In 1091, he founded the Benedictine abbey.
The church was consecrated in 1140 to Our-Lady, and Pierre became the first abbot of Fontgombault! He died in 1114.
His abbey became prosperous. In the 15th century, monks even took part in the creation of ponds in Brenne area.