Priory of Notre-Dame de Soulac
Pieuré de Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres / S Marie Finibus Terre / Solaco / Solac
(Soulac-sur-Mer, Gironde)
The Benedictine priory of Soulac, also known as Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres, was established near the Gironde estuary, where the Garonne and Dordogne rivers meet the Atlantic coast. A later tradition places the arrival of Saint Veronica at this site, where she is said to have built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. However, no documentary references to the site are found until the last quarter of the 10th century. In 1035, a papal bull from Pope Benedict IV mentioned the presence of monks at this location.
The priory was contested between the abbeys of Sainte-Croix in Bordeaux and Saint-Sever (Landes) until 1079, when Pope Gregory VII confirmed its affiliation with the former. Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres became an important centre of popular devotion and a pilgrimage destination. The numerous donations it received contributed to its wealth and prosperity. However, its location in an unstable area caused recurring structural issues, along with periodic efforts to prevent the encroachment of sand dunes on the buildings. Additionally, the priory suffered several military occupations during the 16th and 17th centuries, which necessitated fortification works. In 1622, it was looted by the Huguenots.
By the 18th century, sand had once again invaded the site, leading to the abandonment of the priory in 1744. The church fell into ruins until it was restored in the mid-19th century, when worship resumed (1860) and the building became a parish church, despite its precarious condition. The Benedictines of the Olivetan congregation returned to Soulac in 1859 and built a new monastery in 1874, where they remained until the mid-20th century. This community became well-known for marketing a dental elixir based on a 14th-century formula. The current church is the result of extensive repairs and modifications made during the 19th and 20th centuries. Nevertheless, medieval capitals and other decorative elements are still preserved.
Angel freeing Saint Peter
Personages and sphinxes
Animals among vegetation
Image of Notre-Dame de Fin des Terres
Detail of Plan de Soulac-sur-Mer (1896)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Illustration of La Guienne historique et monumentale (1842)
Illustration of Le Monde illustré (1862)
Illustration of Le Monde illustré (1862)
Publicity for the priory dental elixir, 1894
Bibliothèque nationale de France
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1910). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 3: Auch, Bordeaux. Abbaye de Ligugé
- C. Y. (1862). Église de Soulac, dégagée des sables d’alluvion qui la recouvraient. Le Monde illustré
- DUBOURG-NOVES, Pierre (1967). Dictionnaire des Églises de France III. Robert Laffont
- DUBOURG-NOVES, Pierre (1969). Guyenne romane. La Pierre-qui-Vire: Zodiaque
- DUCOURNEAU, Alexandre (1842). La Guienne historique et monumentale. Bordeaux: Coudert
- MEZURET, A. (1865). Notre-Dame de Soulac ou de la Fin-des-Terres. Bordeus: Lesparre
- ORRILLARD, A. (1940). L'église Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres à Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde). Bulletin Monumental, vol. 99
- PICOT-SUBES, Marie-P. (1897). L'église Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres à Soulac-sur-Mer. Congrès archéologique de France, 145e s.
- REY, Raymond (1948). Les chapiteaux historiés de l'église de Soulac (Gironde). Annales du Midi, vol. 61
The priory is located at the northernmost tip of the Médoc peninsula, between the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean