The Abbey of Ahun was founded in the year 997, thanks to Count Boso II of La Marche (988–1008), who donated a church he owned to the Benedictine monks of Saint-Pierre in Uzerche, in the Corrèze region. The aim was to establish a new monastery, with the support of the Bishop of Limoges.
For many years, the monastery remained under the authority of Uzerche, but in the 13th century it became independent. The original church was rebuilt not long after the foundation, and the abbey went through a period of growth and prosperity. It had five dependent priories and several parish churches. However, hard times followed: in the late 15th century, the region was affected by the Hundred Years’ War, and in 1591 the monastery was almost destroyed during the Wars of Religion. From the 16th century on, the monastery was governed by commendatory abbots, who were often more interested in income than monastic life.
The community never fully recovered. Many monks moved into the village, and most of the church was closed and left unused. In 1610, the monks returned and re-established community life, this time with links to the Cluniac order. Although the monastery buildings were in poor condition, they were slowly rebuilt over time. At the end of the 17th century, a new choir stall was installed — and it still survives today. The monastery remained active until the end of the 18th century, when it was closed during the French Revolution.
The church lost its nave, which is now a garden, though the Gothic portal on the northwest façade still stands. Today, only the apse and part of the transept remain, as the arms were also lost. Inside, visitors can admire an impressive ensemble: the choir stalls and an boiserie covering much of the wall space, made in the second half of the 17th century..
The apse and remains of the transept with the bell tower
Choir-stalls (17th century)
Photo by Père Igor, on Wikimedia
Boiserie (17th century)
Photo by Père Igor, on Wikimedia
Funerary relief of Caius Flavius Alpinus
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5. Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- DELANNOY, Henri (1902). Liste critique des abbés de Moutier-d'Ahun. Mémoires de la société des sciences naturelles et archéologiques de la Creuse, vol. 8. Guéret
- DELANNOY, Henri (1903). L'abbaye du Moutier-d'Ahun. Mémoires de la société des sciences naturelles et archéologiques de la Creuse, vol. 9. Guéret
- MANIQUET, Christophe (2020). Moutier-d’Ahun – Église. Archéologie de la France - Informations
- ROY DE PIERREFITTE, J.-B. L. (1857-63). Études historiques sur les monastères du Limousin & de la Marche, vol. 1. Guêret: Betoulle
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia
Moutier-d’Ahun is located southeast of Guéret