Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - Abbey

The abbey at Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (originally known as Fleury Abbey) was founded on the banks of the Loire river mid 7th century. It is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule in France.

The story starts in 672, when some of its monks traveled to Montecassino (Italy), dug up the remains of St. Benedict of Nursia (+ 547) and his sister St. Scholastica and brought them home. After the relics had reached at Fleury Abbey it which was renamed Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - and due to the relics became a major place of pilgrimage. Of course, this did not help when the Normans rowed up the Loire and burned the buildings of the monastery. But the convent recovered and rebuilt.

A famous school and a scriptorium existed here in the late 10th century.

The erection of the church started around 1071. When the church was consecrated in 1108, the long nave was not completed.

The abbey thrived, but times got rougher. In 1562, the abbey was pillaged by Huguenots. The buildings were restored, but looted and destroyed again during the French Revolution. Saint-Benoît's monks left the abbey and so the history of the convent ended after more than 1100 years.

The abbey church had escaped destruction and got restored in the 19th century. In 1944, the convent was refounded the abbey buildings were rebuilt by Benedictine monks after World War II. So the history of the convent was just interrupted for about 150 years.

"Tour de Gauzlin", the massive porch tower, is named for Abbot Gaucellin who commissioned it, around 1020. The tower serves as a porch for the west entrance. The columns are decorated with interesting capitals, that were probably carved around 1080. The workshop, who cerated these masterpieces was led by UNBERTUS, who "signed" on of his works. Many of the capitals have biblical scenes, like right one, offering a glimpse into Paradise.