The Abbey at Premontré
(The Premonstratension
Abbey at Talley housed monks who came from France back in the
twelfth century. It is possible to visit the remains of
the Mother Abbey at Premontré. The following is a translation of
a French brochure available to tourists who visit the site.)
Situation and foundation
Premontré - pratum monstratum (remarkable leader) an open cleared meadow - an eponymous site which has given its name to an order of regular canons of the same title which Cluny (Clunesian Benedictines) or Citeaux (the Cistertions) had been offered in 1119 by Norbert founder of the Premonstres (a religious order which follows the rules of St.Augustin) by the Bishop of Laon, Barthelemy de Jur.The Abbey was situated at the confluence of three vallys, which converged from the north to the south to form a goose’s foot which gave it the name of the valley of the cross. Short, embanked and open down stream these valleys bound remote places of isolation or solitude. Solitude, which would have caused Norbert to choose Premontré; but solitude was wholly relative as there had been previously on that spot a little Benedictine Chapel dedicated to John the Baptist.
Several factors had influenced the building in the twelfth century; Premontré was land belonging to the French Kingdom, near a junction of roads of gallic-Roman origin and near the religious school of Laon. Furthermore the foundation could count on the generosity of the noblemen of Coucy who made it their burial ground.
The “mother” monastery, which spawned nearly a hundred establishments in France has only two daughter establishments remaining today: The Abbey of Mondaye in Calvados and that of Frigolet near Tarascon in Provence. Changed into a psychiatric hospital for the department Aisne in 1862 it (the building) had suffered considerably - during the French Revolution, from the setting up of a glass works between 1793 and 1843 and the Great War 1914-18.
Visiting Premontré
On the left, before going up the Grand Avenue, which leads to the entrance gateway, are the ruins of the second Abbey (Premontre II: the first buildings were undoubtedly constructed of wood and have no remains nor exact location). The ruins of this little church of St.Norbert have been customarily consecrated and foundation of the order has been dated to about 1121. Monumental archaeology seems to disagree with this assertion and has dated this church between 1140 and 1150. Abutting to a small part of the 18th century north wall is a building, which was the first monastery in stone. The church served as the parish church from the start of the 16th century. To the south stretched the burial ground which was razed during the 19th century.The walkway, 375m in length that led to the Court of Honour was lined by hornbeam trees. The grand canal which ran alongside the avenue from north to south is filled in now and covered with a line of apple trees. Upwards and on two terraces rising one above the other were the fruit and vegetable gardens which faced the southern front of the orangery. The conservatory on the same level as the orangery is now used as an exhibition or reception room. The grand canal, the fruit and vegetable gardens, the orangery and ice-house made up part of the Abbot’s quarters.
The entrance gate was rebuilt in 1819 following the plans of the meticulous architect Durocher, when a forged iron grille was replaced by two folding doors with coping above. During the revolution these were sold to the glass works at Folembray.
The Court of Honour is framed by three buildings: the large block of buildings on the north side built at the instigation of the Abbot General, Lucas de Muin, between 1828 and 1838, The Abbey dwellings on the western side and symmetrically to the east (the bursar’s office) were built on the orders of Bruno Bécourt from 1742 to 1757.
The large block of principle buildings, 107 metres long, asymmetrically placed (a bay a little to the east) only formed a wing in the first plan, at the same time in the shape of a U opening towards the west and facing the “montagne”. But Bécourt changed the axis of the plan from east-west to north-south: the courtyard no longer abutted the “montagne” a visual obstacle but opened out towards the lower end of the valley thus turned toward the “world”. Today it is difficult to imagine that the digging and the alterations to the “mountain” buttress, the levelling and smoothing to create the alignments and views, remain in existence. The abbey dwellings destroyed by Bécourt arms were placed to the west and saved in it’s earlier splendour (1746), a staircase, a masterpiece of standard form – a suspended, winding staircase of St. Gilles framed in an oval manner - nevertheless it was not to become the spectacular piece of Premontré: having been built in 1731 it was destroyed in 1796. The priests’ dwelling closed the Court of Honour on the eastern side. These two buildings present an elevation as three levels on thirteen bays by using the ionic (coloseum) standard flat pilasters supporting a frieze-less platform.
Behind the block of buildings which were used at ground level as billiard room, dining room and chapter house; with the archive room on the mezzanine; and on the first floor rooms with fireplaces for priests and superiors who hid in the monastery. The oval shaped vestibule has a vaulted ceiling with cloister arches of unequal length (made into a chapel) was used as monastery buildings, which were joined together to be used as the buildings of the hospital.
The western wing, which housed the kitchens, shops and the library, the southern wing, which screened the refectory, and the cloisters were rebuilt between 1717 and 1738. Alone the eastern wing and the church (Premontré III built about 1140) dedicated in 1232, consecrated in 1297, destroyed about 1865 (82m x 241m) successors of medieval buildings, were preserved until the end of the 18th century, they were nevertheless being restored and altered. Thus the medieval vestry may have made way for the famous staircase built by the architect Charles Bonhomme in 1730-1731 to give access to the monks’ dormitories. It was destroyed in 1796 Year V.
Set apart his brother Nicholas who also worked at Premontré. To this day no one knows the identity of the conceptual architects of this huge 18th century reconstruction project and whose final apothesis would be the rebuilding of the church. The longed-for reconstruction by the last Abbot General, Jean Baptiste E’cuy, who wanted a church in the architectural style of the day was entrusted to two little known architects, Jean Xavier Leclerc (1785) and Jean Baptiste Delécuze (1786). This grandiose scheme costed at 50,000 livres was swept aside by the revolution.
The visitor who winds his way through the abbey dwellings in the northwest, walks through a succession of buildings facing east. These buildings, called the Buildings of the Circaries, were used to house delegates from all the provinces to take part in general discussions. These buildings faced the western wing of the monastic buildings and formad a trapezoidal court closed on the north side by a barn called Grange St Jean (today les Glycines) exactly opposite the return square of the abbey dwellings. This barn, built about 1769 communicated through a carriage gateway with the lower court. The latter, whose buildings were reconstructed under Abbot Parchappe de Vinay (1758-1769) was almost totally burned down in 1878. Alone, the St. Jean gateway built in place of a 14th century fortified gateway which screened the English quarter, survived.
The wall of the cloisters which exists in its entirety can be followed eastwards if one goes out through the St. Jean gateway. Two traces of the exterior walls of a watchtower still testify to the defensive system erected in the 14th century. The area of the bounded enclosure is 17 hectares. Of the four gates placed at the four cardinal points only the east gate has disappeared.
Going down the roadway one overlooks the Court of Honour - which one can take in at a single glance.
Information supplied by Steve Upson
