Corbie Abbey

A convent was founded and sponsored here around 660 by Queen Balthild (since 860 "Saint Balthild"), wife of Clovis II and mother of Chlothar III and Childeric II. The abbey got really important in early Carolingian times. It was known for its sciptorium, the Carolingian minuscule spread from here. Saint Adalard, one of Charlemagne's cousins, was abot here 780-826.

A monastery in Hethis on the River Weser among the Saxons (600kms east), was founded from here in 815 under the name "Corbeia nova“, This name did change to Corvey and since 2014 the "filia" Corvey is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Corbie Abbey was ruined during the Viking raids in 881, but got rebuilt. It was known later for its library. About 400 manuscripts were transferred to St. Germain des Prés in Paris mid 17th century. When the last monks left the abbey during the French Revolution these manuscripts were released to the market. Most of them are in St. Petersburg meanwhile, while most others, that had been transferred to nearby Amiens, are at the Bibliothèque Nationale.

The former abbey church Saint-Pierre, seen here, now serves the parish. The predecessor Romanesque church was demolished in 1501 and the building of a Gothic church started here. It was completed 1775, just before the French Revolution changed everything. The church was really large, it was 117m long, the crossing tower was 90m high. After the Revolution the church was abandoned and used as a quarry. In 1816, after long discussions, when choir and transepts were lost already, architects came up with plans, to "create" a small church out of the ruin. This church is seen here. The nave now has a lenght of 37 meters, but the western towers still reach 55m.

Here is a scale model of the church, that existed upto the French Revolution.