Noirlac Abbey

Ebbes de Déols, Lord of Charenton (†1160), is regarded as having supported the permanent establishment of the community. The same Ebbes also appears among the founders of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Varennes (Indre). An account of the life of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), written shortly after his death, states that the first abbot of Domus Dei was Robert de Châtillon, who was related to Bernard. The monastery was placed under the supervision and filiation of Clairvaux Abbey (Aube). During its early years, the community developed thanks to the support of the Lords of Charenton.

The abbey experienced a revival during the seventeenth century, although extensive repairs and improvements to the monastic buildings became necessary at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The community was dissolved in 1790 following the French Revolution, and the monastery was sold. Fortunately, and quite exceptionally, it escaped demolition. In 1822 it passed into private ownership and was converted into a porcelain factory, requiring major alterations to the conventual buildings. This industrial activity continued until 1886, by which time the site had already been protected for several years. It later served a number of social welfare purposes and even housed refugees from the Spanish Civil War.

The cloister lies to the south of the church and provides access to the surrounding conventual buildings, arranged according to the characteristic Cistercian plan. It dates from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, although parts were rebuilt in the eighteenth century and restored after nineteenth-century alterations. On the eastern side are the chapter house, originally built in the twelfth century and restored during the twentieth, together with the warming room. The dormitory occupies the upper floor. The medieval refectory forms the principal building on the south side of the cloister. On the west side stand the cellar and the lay brothers' dormitory.