Abbey of Saint-Gildas-des-Bois
Lampridic / S Gildasius de Nemore / S Gildasius de Lauda / S Guédas
(Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, Loire-Atlantique)
The abbey of Saint-Gildas-des-Bois was founded on the initiative of Simon, lord of La Roche-Bernard (Morbihan). The La Roche lineage was of Norman origin: his father, Bernhard, had been a Viking jarl who occupied these lands around 919 and came to control extensive estates. In 1026, Simon de La Roche, by then fully integrated into the feudal system, formalised the foundation of a monastery to which he granted the site of Lampridic. It is very likely that a small community had already settled there a few years earlier, coming from Saint-Sauveur de Redon (Ille-et-Vilaine).
The foundation was carried out with the approval of Alan III, Duke of Brittany between 1008 and 1040. The monastery was placed under the authority of the abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys (Morbihan). The abbot of Rhuys, Félix, took part in the foundation by providing relics of Saint Gildas (c. 494–570), founder of Rhuys in the 6th century; for this reason, the new house was also placed under his dedication. The first abbot of Saint-Gildas-des-Bois was Hélogon. The founder endowed the monastery generously, which made it possible to build a large church that also fulfilled parochial functions.
After his death, Simon was buried in the church; later, the monastery also became the burial place of other members of the La Roche lineage. His descendants continued to support the community, which developed into a significant centre of economic and religious power, both through this patronage and through the presence of the relics of Saint Gildas, especially invoked in cases of madness. In 1176, Pope Alexander III placed the abbey under his protection. The construction of the church was completed around 1214. The 14th century brought a period of instability and decline, and by the beginning of the following century the monastery was in material ruin.
In 1492, Saint-Gildas came under commendatory abbots, which did not favour its recovery; the decline worsened during the second half of the 16th century as a result of the Wars of Religion. It was not until the arrival of the Maurists in 1645 that the reform and rebuilding of the establishment began. However, monastic life came to an end in 1790, during the Revolution, when the relics of Saint Gildas were lost and the site passed into private hands.
In 1828, the site was occupied by the Sœurs de l’instruction chrétienne de Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, who maintain their mother house there. In 1944, during the Second World War, the monastery was damaged by bombing. The church, of medieval origin (12th century), has undergone numerous modifications and restorations. It has three aisles with six bays, leading to a transept; the central nave continues into a spacious chancel, terminating in a semicircular apse. In 2008, contemporary colourless stained-glass windows by Pascal Convert were installed.
Choir-stalls
Choir-stalls
Stained glass window by Pascal Convert (2008)
Stained glass window by Pascal Convert (2008)
Saint Gildas
Old postcard, private collection
- BESSE, Jean-Martial (1920). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France, vol. 8, Tours. París : Picard
- GUÉRIN, Paul (1888). Les Petits Bollandistes. Vies des saints. Vol. 2. París: Bloud et Barral
- LUCO, Jean-François (1869). Histoire de Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys. Vannes: Imp. L. Galles
- MAÎTRE, Léon (1898). L'ancienne baronnie de la Roche-Bernard. Nantes : Grimaud
- MITRE, Catherine (1983). Les abbayes bretonnes. Nantes: Biennales des Abbayes Bretonnes/Fayard
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1856). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 14. París: Typographia Regia
Saint-Gildas-des-Bois is located to the northwest of Nantes