Fontevraud Abbey

Robert d'Arbrissel (1045 – 1116) started his remarkable career as a humble itinerant preacher. After a conflict with the bishop of Rennes, he was exiled to Paris, where he studied. The same bishop recalled him to the diocese later and appointed Robert to be an archpriest for reforming the clergy, what meant fighting simony, lay investiture, clerical concubinage etc. His reforming zeal aroused such enmity that in 1093, after the bishop´s death, he was compelled to leave the diocese.

He became a hermit and lived in the forest, but he did not stay lonely there. His piety, eloquence, sympathetic view of women attracted many followers, for whom in 1096 he founded the monastery of La Roé. The same year, Pope Urban II, touring through France, after he had launched the First Crusade during the Council of Clermont, met Robert and appointed him "preacher second only to himself".

Robert was not interested in the crusade at all. He left the convent and, living in the utmost destitution, restarted his life as an itinerant preacher, addressing the poor. His eloquence and his his ascetic appearance, drew crowds. He again came into conflict with a bishop. In 1100, during a council in Poitiers, he was requested to give up his nomadic life and to settle down with his followers. A piece of land ("Fons Evraldi") was bestowed on him, where at 1001 Robert founded the "double monastery" Fontevraud Abbey.

Robert invited people of every age and condition to join - "under the leadership of a woman". This may have attracted many noble and wealthy ladies, to join the convent. Robert himself could bear the sedentary life only for a short while. He appointed Hersende de Champagne (Heloisa´s mum?) to lead the convent and hit the road again. In 1116 Robert died in the Priory of Orsan (Centre).

At that time Hersende had already commissioned the church. The construction started in 1104. The monastery, Hersende had in mind, when she started the construction, should accomodate at least 500 nuns and "fratres". It actually is still today one of the largest monastic ensembles in Europe. From the very beginning the abbey had a strong support from the House of Plantagenet, who were Counts of Anjou.

Such a large ensemble needs TLC constantly.