Abbey of Notre-Dame des Châtelliers

Abbaye des Châtelliers / Castellaria / Chastelliers

(Fomperron, Deux-Sèvres)

Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers

In 1119, a group of hermits sent by Gerald of Salles (c. 1050–1120) and led by Pierre de Vars arrived in Châtelliers in search of a suitable place to settle. That same year, the monastery was founded. Gerald of Salles had begun his monastic life at the canonical priory of Saint-Avit-Sénieur (Dordogne) and, after a period of eremitic practice, initiated an active period of foundations, including the abbeys of Cadouin (Dordogne), Grandselve (Tarn-et-Garonne), L’Absie (Deux-Sèvres), and this one at Châtelliers, among others.

Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Photo from Paysages et monuments du Poitou (1892)

The communities founded by Gerald of Salles followed the Rule of Saint Benedict but soon joined the Cistercian Order. It is known that Gerald had contact with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. In 1120, Gerald died at this abbey, where he was buried. His remains were venerated as those of a saint and attracted pilgrims and devotees. Shortly after, the community moved to a nearby site, northeast of the original location, where the monks settled permanently. In 1121, the founder’s relics were transferred to the new chapel and, in the mid-13th century, were placed in a new funerary monument.

Affiliation of Châteliers

According to Originum Cisterciensium (L. Janauschek, 1877)
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Photo from Paysages et monuments du Poitou (1892)
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Cloister. Photo from Paysages et monuments du Poitou (1892)

The abbey was then organized in its new location, and its first elected abbot was Aimeri, who began building the definitive monastery in 1129; the new church was consecrated in 1156. By 1162, the house had entered the Cistercian Order. During that period, it also began to receive support from local lords, and in 1145 a papal bull placed the monastery under the protection of the Holy See. After suffering the effects of the Hundred Years’ War, monastic life continued. From 1476 onward, the house was governed by commendatory abbots. In 1568, during the Wars of Religion, the abbey was plundered and burned, and much of its buildings fell into ruin.

As a result, the church was restored and the cloister was rebuilt between 1685 and 1689, along with other buildings. After these reconstruction efforts, the French Revolution ended monastic life at Châtelliers by the end of the 18th century. The site was sold and quickly fell into ruin, being used as a stone quarry. Eventually, in the 20th century, the last remnants were lost. Today, only a few minor remains survive. The core of the monastery was located in the present-day commune of Fomperron, near Chantecorps, where a wall with blocked arches still stands—a remnant of an auxiliary building.

Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Old postcard. Private collection.
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Illustration from Paysages et monuments du Poitou (1892)
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Notre-Dame des Châtelliers
Illustration from Paysages et monuments du Poitou (1892)

Bibliography:
  • BARBIER DE MONTAULT, Xavier (1889). Fouilles de l’église abbatiale des Châtelliers. Revue poitevine et saintongeaise. Vol. 5
  • BARBIER DE MONTAULT, Xavier (1892). L’architecture et la décoration a l’abbaye cistercienne des Châtelliers du XII au XVIII siècle. Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaires de l’Ouest. Vol. XIV 1891. Poitiers: Druinaud/Bonamy
  • BARBIER DE MONTAULT, Xavier (1893). Le carrelage de l'église abbatiale des Chatelliers (Deux-Sèvres) au Moyen-Age et a la Renaissance. Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaires de l’Ouest. Vol. XV. Poitiers: Druinaud/Bonamy
  • BAUDRILLART, Alfred (1953). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques. Vol. 12. París: Letouzey et Ané
  • BEAUNIER, Dom (1910). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 3: Auch, Bordeaux. Abbaye de Ligugé
  • DUVAL, Louis (1872). Cartulaire de l'abbaye royale de Notre-Dame des Châtelliers. Niort: Clouzot
  • JANAUSCHEK, Leopoldus (1877). Originum Cisterciensium. Vol. 1. Viena
  • ROBUCHON, Jules (1892). Paysages et monuments du Poitou. Vol VI. París
  • SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia

Location:

The monastery, now almost completely vanished, was located between the communes of Fomperron and Chantecorps, between Niort and Poitiers