Detail of Carte générale de la France
César-François Cassini de Thury (1758-1759)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
During the early years of the formation and expansion of the Cistercian Order, women from the family circles of its founders also gathered around the first establishments, such as Molesme and Cîteaux. They could not be accommodated in monasteries strictly reserved for men. In some cases, men entering a monastery were accompanied by their wives, sisters or other female relatives.
Plan of Jully Castle
Illustration from Histoire du prieuré de Jully-les-Nonnains (1881)
To address this situation, a site associated with Molesme Abbey (Côte-d’Or) was assigned for this purpose: the castle of Jully (Yonne), donated by Miles, Count of Bar-sur-Seine († c. 1126). A community of women was established there between 1113 and 1115. The castle was adapted only minimally to accommodate them, and the establishment would eventually become a women’s priory dependent on Molesme. Initially, the community faced numerous restrictions compared with male houses, particularly owing to the lack of its own rule and limited financial resources.
In 1118, the foundation received the approval of the Bishop of Langres and, in 1145, Pope Eugene III confirmed its existence in a document addressed to Molesme. The house was governed by a prioress, subject to the authority of a prior appointed by Molesme. The first prioress was Elisabeth, sister-in-law of Bernard of Clairvaux, who held the office from 1116 to c. 1130. She was succeeded by one of Bernard’s sisters. The first community that founded Tart Abbey (Côte-d’Or) came from this establishment, which also gave rise to other women’s priories. By the 15th century, the priory no longer had a community. No remains of the monastic-period buildings survive.
Illustration from Catalogo degli ordini religiosi della Chiesa Militante (1723)
- BOUTON, Jean de la Croix; i altres (1984). L'abbaye de Tart et ses filiales au Moyen-Âge. Mélanges à la mémoire du père Anselme Dimier. Vol. II/3. Arbois: Pupillin
- JOBIN, Jean-Baptiste (1881). Histoire du prieuré de Jully-les-Nonnains, avec pièces justificatives. París: Bray et Retaux
- LAURENT, Jacques; ed. (1907). Cartulaires de l'abbaye de Molesme, ancien diocèse de Langres, 916-1250, vol. 1. París: Picard
- LESTER, Anne E. (2011). Creating Cistercian Nuns. Londres: Cornell University Press
- PETIT, Ernest (1881). Cartulaire du prieuré de Jully-les-Nonnains. Auxerre: Rouillé
The castle stood on a hill between Tonnerre and Châtillon-sur-Seine