Abbey of Saint-André de Lavaudieu

The foundation of the monastery of Comps was probably formalised between 1052 and 1058, by which date there is reliable evidence of its existence. In 1074, Judith, daughter of the counts of Auvergne, took the veil there, an event that favoured the arrival of significant donations which consolidated the priory and ensured its prosperity. In the following years donations continued, allowing it to administer other churches and even establish several dependent priories. For a time, the monastery of Santa Maria di Rocca delle Donne (Camino, Piedmont) was also subject to Comps.

The last regular prioress was Antonia Le Loup (1493-1518). Afterwards, the monastery was governed by commendatory prioresses, appointed from outside. In the 16th century it suffered the effects of the Wars of Religion and, for a time, the community had to abandon the monastery. During this period, a progressive decline in religious discipline was also noted. In 1718 the house was raised to the rank of abbey, but its final years were marked by decay, until in 1791 the nuns were forced to leave because of the Revolution. The abbey was put up for sale and its archives were lost.

Above the church rises an octagonal bell tower, now truncated. To the south is the rectangular cloister, with two storeys, the lower one purely Romanesque, preserving a notable series of capitals, despite some losses. To the north-east is the chapter house, now the sacristy, and to the south the refectory, similar in size to the nave of the church, which still preserves part of its mural decoration on the west wall, dominated by the figure of Christ surrounded by the tetramorph.