Abbey of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Saramon
Cella Modulphi / Medulphi / Abbaye de Saramon
(Saramon, Gers)
This ancient monastery was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and the church to Saints Victor and Corona, martyrs in Syria. In 817, Louis the Pious gave this place to the Abbey of Sorèze (Tarn), which established a priory there at an undetermined date in the 9th century. In 864, Sorèze was destroyed by a Norman invasion, and to finance the reconstruction work, in 904 he sold the site of Saramon to Garcia Sánchez, Count of Astarac.
The tower of Saint-Victor, now lost
At the time of the sale, the priory is mentioned under the name of Cella Modulphi, probably the name of its prior. The change from priory to abbey would have taken place around 1025, at the time of Bishop Odon, of the count family of Astarac, a former monk of Notre-Dame de Simorre (Gèrs) who had become archbishop of Auch. However, the Abbey of Sorèze continued to exert its influence over this house. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the new town of Saramon developed alongside it. There is evidence that the cloister was rebuilt in 1315, but after the Revolution it was dismantled and dispersed. In the last years of its existence, the monastic community and the abbey itself were in full decline, and in 1777 its dissolution was decreed, although at the time of the Revolution it still had a few monks.
The present church is the result of alterations to an 11th-century building that changed its appearance. In the present church, the so-called tower of Saint-Victor stands out, attached to the central apse, where capitals and other ancient architectural elements have been discovered in recent years. Despite its defensive appearance, it was originally a chapel dedicated to the titular saint. Unfortunately, in 2023, this construction collapsed, leaving it completely in ruins and affecting the apse of the church.
Window of the Saint-Victor tower
Portal next to the apse
Stained glass window with the martyrdom of
Saints Victor and Corona (19th century)
According to Armorial général de France (18th century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
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- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1715). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 1. París: Coignard
Saramon is located southeast of Auch