The monastery of Ferrières, dedicated to Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, was also known under the patronage of Notre-Dame de Bethléem. Its origins have traditionally been associated with the martyr Saint Sabinian, regarded as the first bishop of Sens. Although the account of his life is a later hagiographical composition, some traditions present him as an emissary of Saint Peter sent to evangelise Gaul, while other sources place him in the third century. According to this tradition, Sabinian founded a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bethléem and even established an early hermitic community on the site, later destroyed during the barbarian invasions.
The same tradition regards Clovis I (481-511) as the restorer of the site and founder of the monastery, around the year 507. About a century later, around 607, the Merovingian king Theuderic II of Burgundy (587-613) is said to have besieged Ferrières and destroyed the monastery. During the first half of the seventh century, Chlothar II (584-629) and his son Dagobert I (c. 600-639) established and endowed a new monastery dedicated to Bethléem. This foundation is generally regarded as the historical origin of the abbey, setting aside the earlier traditional account. Around 635, Wandelbert († 642) undertook the completion of the project, building the abbey and obtaining several privileges granted by Pope Honorius I (625-638).
The monastery probably followed the Rule of Saint Columbanus, although it has also been regarded as a canonical chapter. It enjoyed a long period of prosperity. In 794, Alcuin of York († 804), adviser to Charlemagne, became abbot of Ferrières. Alcuin also held the abbacy of Saint-Martin de Tours (Indre-et-Loire) and Saint-Loup de Troyes (Aube). In 817, as part of the monastic reforms introduced by Louis the Pious, Ferrières adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict. In 880, the abbey church was the site of the coronation of Louis III (863-882) and Carloman II (c. 867-884), sons of Louis the Stammerer (843-879).
At that time, the abbey of Saint-Josse-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) depended on Ferrières. During the ninth century, the region suffered from Viking incursions. Nevertheless, Ferrières was still able to shelter the community of Saint-Josse until 917. A new period of prosperity followed, during which the abbey church was built. Construction began around 1140, and although still unfinished, it was consecrated in 1163 by Pope Alexander III. This prosperous period lasted until the mid-fourteenth century, when the Hundred Years' War reached the monastery in 1357. The devastation was repeated in 1427, leaving the monastic buildings in ruins. After recovering from these events, the abbey was again affected by the Wars of Religion (1568-69).
In 1633, the reform of the Congregation of Saint-Maur was introduced despite opposition from the monks, resulting in the temporary coexistence of two communities until the Maurist reform was finally established. The abbey was suppressed in 1790 during the French Revolution. The monastery suffered extensive damage and was sold. In 1801, the badly damaged abbey church became the parish church, thus escaping demolition. Restoration began during the second half of the nineteenth century. The present building is the result of numerous alterations; most of the structure belongs to the rebuilding begun in 1040, although some elements of the earlier church have survived.
Schematic plan of the church
The church consists of a single nave, although it originally had a north aisle, now lost. It also has a transept leading to the chancel. Its most distinctive feature is the crossing, where an octagonal space surrounded by perimeter columns was created. The central apse, as wide as the nave, has a polygonal plan and appears to belong to a later building phase. The many repairs carried out after successive wars must also be taken into account. The building was restored during the nineteenth century. Several stained-glass windows from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries have survived. Beside the abbey church stands the ancient chapel of Notre-Dame de Bethléem.
Stained glass window with Pierre de Martigny,
first commendatory abbot (1518-1527)
Cloister portal
Portal and base of the bell tower
Exterior portal
Chapel of Notre-Dame de Bethlehem
Illustration from Histoire du Gastinois (1883)
Coronation of Louis III and Carloman II
Illustration from Les grandes Chroniques de France (XIVth century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Monasticon Gallicanum
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Tomb of Abbot Louis de Blanchefort († 1505)
Illustration from Monuments religieux, civils et militaires du Gâtinais (1879)
Tombstone of Nicolas Le Clerc († 1553)
Illustration from Monuments religieux, civils et militaires du Gâtinais (1879)
Old postcard, private collection
Old postcard, private collection
According to Armorial général de France (18th century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
- AUBERT, Marcel (1931). Ferrières-en-Gâtinais. Congrès archéologique de France, 93 ss. Société française d'archéologie
- BESSE, Jean-Martial (1913). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France, vol. 6. Province ecclésiastique de Sens. Ligugé/París
- GAND, Michel (1998). Les origines de l'abbaye de Ferrieres (Loiret). Bulletin de la Société archéologique et historique de l'Orléanais, núm. 15.119
- JAROSSAY, Eugène (1901). Histoire d'une abbaye a travers les siècles. Ferrières en Gatinais, ordre de Saint-Benoît (508-1790). Reed. 1986. Orleans: Herluison
- MICHEL, Edmond (1879). Monuments religieux, civils et militaires du Gâtinais, depuis le XIe jusqu'au XVIIe siècle. Orléans: Herluison
- MORIN, Guillaume (1882). Histoire du Gastinois, vol. 2. Pithiviers: Laurent
- PEIGNÉ-DELACOURT, Achille (1877). Monasticon Gallicanum. Paris: G. Chamerot
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1770). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 12. París: Typographia Regia
- SAULNIER, Lydwine (1972). Ferrières-en-Gâtinais. Bulletin Monumental. Vol 130
Ferrières-en-Gâtinais lies in the eastern part of the Loiret department, north of Montargis, on the road towards Nemours