Abbey of Saint-Jean de Sorde
Abbaye de Saint-Jean de Sorde / S Johannis de Sordua
(Sorde-l'Abbaye, Landes)
Although the foundation of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Jean de Sorde has been linked to Charlemagne, it is not mentioned until the year 975. The site where the abbey stands has been occupied since ancient times; in fact, it was built on top of a Roman villa. Moreover, the location held significant strategic importance, being situated at the confluence of the gaves of Pau and Oloron, and served as a waypoint on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Due to the loss of its archives in the 16th century, there is insufficient information about the early centuries of this monastic house. However, it is highly likely that it already existed in the last quarter of the 10th century. During the 12th and 13th centuries, it is believed to have experienced a period of prosperity, which came to an end in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the monastery suffered the effects of several armed conflicts that deeply impacted it. It was not until the 17th century, when it was incorporated into the Congregation of Saint-Maur, that its reconstruction was undertaken.
The French Revolution marked the end of monastic life at this site. The buildings were divided, the church was converted into a parish, and much of the monastery was repurposed as a military hospital. Later abandoned, it fell into ruin. The church was restored, but the intervention did not respect the few medieval remains that had survived, meaning that much of the current structure dates from that period. In 1869, a mosaic pavement was discovered, likely dating to the 11th or 12th centuries.
Transept portal
The Arrest of Christ
Daniel in the lion's den
Virgin Mary with the Child and Simeon
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Mosaic of the chancel (11th-12th centuries)
Western portal
Monasticon Gallicanum
Bibliothèque nationale de France
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1910). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 3: Auch, Bordeaux. Abbaye de Ligugé
- CABANOT, Jean (1978). Gascogne romane. Zodiaque. La nuit des temps
- DUMOLIN, Maurice (1935). L'abbaye Saint-Jean de Sorde (Landes). Bulletin Monumental, vol. 94-1
- PEIGNÉ-DELACOURT, Achille (1877). Monasticon Gallicanum. Paris: G. Chamerot
- RAYMOND, Paul (1873). Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint Jean de Sorde. París: Dumoulin
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1715). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 1. París: Coignard
The Abbey of Saint-Jean de Sorde is located near the confluence of the gaves of Pau and Oloron, in the municipality of Sorde-l'Abbaye, between Bayonne and Orthez