Canonry of Saint-Hilaire de la Celle

Les Augustins / Cella S Hilarii

(Poitiers, Vienne)

Saint-Hilaire de la Celle
Saint-Hilaire de la Celle

When Bishop Hilary died in the year 367, he was buried at the site where the church of Saint-Hilaire le Grand now stands. According to tradition, an oratory was built where he had lived, and a community of canons gathered there. At the end of the 11th century, this community adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine. Some have suggested that the canonry already existed in the 6th century, but references to the priory do not appear until much later, and only afterwards did it acquire the title of abbey.

Saint-Hilaire de la Celle
Saint-Hilaire de la Celle

The Augustinian canons likely settled here around the year 1088, which suggests that until then were followers of the Aachen rule. In the 12th century, names of priors of La Celle begin to appear, a period when the space and the site of worship dedicated to Bishop Hilary were enhanced. At some point, around the 14th century, the figure of an abbot appears; until then, only priors had been mentioned. In the second half of the 16th century, repairs were made to the canonry’s buildings, likely as a result of damage from the Wars of Religion.

In 1652, Saint-Hilaire de la Celle was incorporated into the Congregation of Sainte-Geneviève, a situation that lasted until 1791, when the Revolution brought about its closure. In 1820, the site was taken over by a community of Carmelite nuns, leading to a thorough renovation of its structures. In 1956, the nuns left, and the site is now publicly owned. The Romanesque-style church is still standing, as well as a relief believed to be a 12th-century cenotaph of Saint Hilary.

Saint-Hilaire de la Celle
Saint-Hilaire de la Celle
17th century drawing
Illustration from Saint-Hilaire de la Celle de Poitiers (1952)
Saint-Hilaire de la Celle
Hilary of Poitiers
Les images des saints (Jacques Callot, 1636)
Bibliothèque nationale de France

Bibliography:
  • ANDRAULT-SCHMITT. Claude (2021). Le passionnant dossier de Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Celle (Poitiers). Les enjeux de l’interprétation des dessins des génovéfains à la lumière des autres sources. Revue historique du Centre-Ouest, núm. XIX
  • 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
  • EYGUN, François (1952). Saint-Hilaire de la Celle de Poitiers. Congrès archéologique de France. 109 ss. Poitiers. Société française d'archéologie. Paris
  • RHEIN, André (1913). Poitiers. Congrès archéologique de France. LXXIXè session tenue à Angoulême. Paris / Caen: Picard / Delesques
  • SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia

Location:
Vista aèria

The former monastic site is located on Petite rue Sainte-Catherine, in the centre of Poitiers