Fontenelles Abbey

Fontenelles Abbey, also known by its Latin names Fontenellae or Fintanelum, was an Augustinian monastery situated in the Vendée region of France. Founded in 1210 by local landowners Guillaume de Mauléon and Béatrice de Machecoul, the abbey initially followed the Benedictine rule before transitioning to the Augustinian order around 1224, becoming a daughter house of Chancelade Abbey. The monastic church was consecrated in 1248 by Jean de Melun, the bishop of Poitiers.

History and Destruction

The abbey's history is marked by significant periods of conflict and destruction. The church sustained damage during the Hundred Years' War. Later, during the Wars of Religion in 1562, Protestant forces attacked the abbey, setting it on fire and causing extensive damage that resulted in the permanent shortening of the nave and a Greek cross floor plan. Further attacks occurred in the 1620s, necessitating repairs. Despite attempts at restoration from 1669 onwards, Fontenelles Abbey, by then housing only a few monks, was suppressed during the French Revolution in 1791. The revolutionary "infernal columns" further devastated the region, leaving the abbey abandoned.

Current State and Architecture

Following its abandonment, the site was repurposed for agricultural use, with the church serving as a barn and the abbot's lodging as laborers' accommodation. Continued neglect led to the collapse of most remaining buildings, including the south transept of the church in 1935. The abbey was constructed in granite, featuring Angevin Gothic architecture that transitioned between Romanesque and Gothic styles. The truncated church stands as the most intact structure, containing a tomb with a recumbent effigy within an arcosolium, believed to be that of either the foundress Béatrice de Machecoul or her daughter Jeanne. Substantial remnants of the chapter room also survive, though the rest of the former monastic complex is largely in ruins. The site remains private property.