According to tradition, the foundation of this monastery dates back to the 7th century, when a pilgrim carrying a relic of the Virgin’s milk fell asleep beneath a hawthorn tree where he had hung the bag containing the relic. When he awoke, the shrub had grown so much that he could not retrieve his satchel. Saint Hadouin, bishop of Le Mans between 623 and 654, passed by the place and promised to establish a monastery there; at that moment, the tree bent down and the pilgrim was able to recover the precious object.
To fulfil his promise, the bishop brought monks from the abbeys of Saint-Vincent and La Couture, both located in the city of Le Mans (Sarthe). A document from Hadouin, dated 642, particularly favoured the new foundation. This first abbey was probably destroyed in the mid-9th century as a result of the Norman invasions and restored between 985 and 989. Despite uncertainties in the documentation, it seems likely that this restoration was carried out thanks to the intervention of Raoul II (10th–11th centuries), viscount of Maine, with monks from the abbey of Saint-Père-en-Vallée de Chartres (Eure-et-Loir)..
The monastery became a prosperous centre, partly thanks to the possession of the Marian relic, and it also controlled several dependent priories. During the 11th and 12th centuries, a new monastic church was built, and in the following century the chapel of Notre-Dame (now dedicated to Saint-Crépin). In the 13th century, the original Romanesque chevet was partially rebuilt and replaced by a new Gothic one, consecrated in 1252, which was later modified on several occasions.
South portal
In 1418, the monastery was affected by the Hundred Years’ War. In 1482, the system of commenda was introduced, and from then on it had abbots who were not members of the monastic community. In 1577, the house was plundered during the Wars of Religion, which also affected the town that had developed around the abbey and forced the monks to flee. When the community returned to Évron, the monastery was fortified, contributing to its economic decline.
Its incorporation into the Congregation of Saint-Maur was requested, but this was not achieved until 1639. From 1724 onwards, the monastic buildings were rebuilt, many of which are still preserved today. In 1791, the monastery was suppressed as a result of the Revolution, when the community consisted of twelve monks. That same year, the church became a parish church, taking over the functions of the former parish church of Saint-Martin, which was demolished in 1793. During the 19th century, restoration and consolidation works began on the complex.
The present church is the result of the various phases of construction and alteration it has undergone. The oldest parts correspond to the westernmost bays of the nave, remains of the 11th-century building; this section preserves only two of the original three aisles. At this point stands a bell tower above a narthex. Another part of the building dates from the Gothic period, with a transept and a chancel with an ambulatory. Beside it stands the chapel of Saint-Crépin, dating from the late 12th century, formerly detached from the Romanesque church; it has a single nave and preserves 13th-century wall paintings. Beneath the chancel are remains of a crypt.
Side aisle (11th century)
Chapel of Saint-Crépin
Chapel of Saint-Crépin
Chapel of Saint-Crépin
Notre Dame de l'Épine
18th century monastery
Photo by Fab5669, on Wikimedia
Church floor plan
Published in Évron. Église. Abbaye (1961)
Veüe du bourg et de l'Abbaye d'Evron
Louis Boudan (1695)
Bibliothèque nationale de France,
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- ANGOT, Alphonse-Victor (1913). Le restaurateur de l'abbaye d'Évron. Bulletin de la Commission historique et archéologique de la Mayenne, núm. 29
- ANGOT, Alphonse-Victor (1914). Les vicomtes du Maine. Bulletin de la Commission Historique et Archéologique de la Mayenne, núm. 30. Laval
- BESSE, Jean-Martial (1920). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France, vol. 8, Tours. París : Picard
- CEUNEAU, Augustin (1949). La réforme de Saint-Maur à l'abbaye Notre-Dame d'Évron, 1640-1791, et son dernier prieur claustral. Laval: Goupil
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- GÉRAULT, Abbé (1838). Notice historique sur Évron, son abbaye et ses monuments. Laval: Sauvage-Hardy
- LAVEDAN, Pierre (1961). Évron. Église. Abbaye. Congrès archéologique de France. 119 ss. Maine. 1961, Paris, Société française d'archéologie
- LEFÈVRE-PONTALIS, Eugène (1903). L’église abbatiale d’Évron. Revue historique et archéologique du Maine. Vol. 54. Mamers/Le Mans: Fleury/De Saint-Denis
- LEGROS, Sébastien (2024). La restauration de l’abbaye Notre-Dame d'Évron (fin du Xe siècle) : une réévaluation de la question. Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l’Ouest, núm. 131-1. Presses universitaires de Rennes
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1856). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 14. París: Typographia Regia
- TARALON, Jean (1961). Le trésor d'Évron. Congrès archéologique de France. 119 ss. Maine. 1961, Paris, Société française d'archéologie
Évron is located to the east of Laval