This monastic house was founded on the initiative of Gauthier, lord of Sully (d. 1240). According to tradition, the founder, finding himself in danger during a sea voyage from the island of Rhodes, promised to build a monastery if he reached safety. In fulfilment of his promise, he donated the site of Val Saint-Benoît to the monks of Val-Croissant Priory (Côte-d’Or), of the Order of Val des Choues.
The foundation charter was drawn up in 1237 in the presence of the founder, his wife and his son. The following year, the bishop of Autun, Guy de Vergy, confirmed the donation and the contribution of further properties to the foundation. After his death, Gauthier was buried in the church of Val Saint-Benoît. Over time, this small priory developed thanks to numerous donations from the local aristocracy, some of whose members were also buried there.
By the mid-14th century, the situation had changed and disputes with the nobility became frequent. According to Coutépée, in 1359 the house was set on fire following an assault during the Hundred Years’ War. In 1541, Francis I appointed Celse Morin as the house’s first commendatory prior. This new policy, together with the Wars of Religion, led the priory into decline. By the mid-17th century, only one religious remained and the monastery was in a state of ruin. By the end of that century, it had virtually ceased to exist as a monastic house.
In 1698 it was united with the seminary of Autun, and in 1703 the pope gave his approval to its suppression. In 1791, following the Revolution, the former priory was declared national property and sold. In 1982 a new monastic community arrived, belonging to the Monastic Family of Bethlehem, of the Assumption of the Virgin and of Saint Bruno, under the patronage of Notre-Dame du Val d’Adoration, and occupied the site until 2026, when this community was in the process of being suppressed. The medieval church, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, survives, together with an adjoining chapel.
Relief from the tomb of Gautier de Sully
Illustration from Le prieuré du Val Saint-Benoît (1839)
Illustration from Catalogo degli ordini religiosi della Chiesa Militante (1703)
- ANÒNIM (1839). Le prieuré du Val Saint-Benoît. Société éduenne, compte rendu de ses travaux. Autun
- COTTINEAU, Laurent-Henri (1939). Répertoire topo-bibliographique des abbayes et prieurés. Vol. 2. Mâcon: Protat
- COURTÉPÉE, Claude (ed. 1847). Description générale et particulière du Duché de Bourgogne. Vol. II. Dijon: Lagier
- LE CAM, Michel (1969). Le Prieuré du Val St-Benoît, de sa fondation à nos jours, 1236-1968. Autun: Société archéologique autunoise
- MUGUET, Paul (1907-1910). Le prieuré de Val-Saint-Benoît. Mémoires de la Société Éduenne. Autun
The former Val Saint-Benoît Priory belongs to the commune of Épinac, east of Autun, towards Beaune