Hautecombe Abbey

Hautecombe Abbey, known historically as Abbaye d'Hautecombe and in Latin as Altaecumbaeum, is a significant former monastery situated in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille in Savoie, France. Its origins trace back to a religious community established around 1101 by hermits. By approximately 1125, it had transferred to its present location on the shores of Lake Bourget and formally adopted the Cistercian Rule from Clairvaux, with Amadeus III, Count of Savoy, recognized as its founder.

For centuries, Hautecombe Abbey served as the principal burial site for the members of the illustrious House of Savoy, a role that cemented its dynastic and historical importance. The abbey also established daughter-houses, including Fossanova Abbey in Italy (1135) and San Angelo de Petra near Constantinople (1214).

History and Reconstruction

The abbey underwent significant transformations throughout its history. It was restored in a debased style around 1750 but was secularized and sold in 1792 during the French occupation of Savoy, subsequently being used as a china factory. In 1824, King Charles Felix of Sardinia purchased the ruins and commissioned Piedmontese architect Ernest Melano to reconstruct the church in an exuberant Gothic-Romantic style, intending to restore it to the Cistercian Order. The church, measuring 66 meters in length and featuring a 26-meter wide transept, is adorned with approximately 300 statues and numerous frescoes.

Following the reconstruction, Cistercians resettled the abbey in 1826, but they were later replaced by monks from Sénanque Abbey. In 1922, the premises were taken over by Benedictine monks from the Priory of St. Madeleine in Marseilles. However, the Benedictines departed in 1992, partly due to the increasing tourist influx. Today, the buildings are administered by the Chemin Neuf Community, a charismatic Catholic group with an ecumenical mission, and the site attracts around 150,000 tourists annually.