Priory of Sainte-Agnès de La Motte-de-Galaure
S Agnetis de Mota / Mota de Galauro
(Saint-Jean-de-Galaure, Drôme)
The Benedictine priory of Sainte-Agnès de La Motte-de-Galaure is located in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Galaure. An early church once stood on this site, probably serving as the parish church of the settlement of La Motte. Its date of construction is unknown and, although no clear evidence survives, its origin may be placed in the 9th century.
Pierre Juénin records that, around 1037, this church was donated to the abbey of Saint-Philibert de Tournus (Saône-et-Loire), but it was not until 1119 that a papal bull issued by Pope Calixtus II mentioned it as a possession of Tournus, already with the status of a monastic cell. The surviving structures of the priory belong to different periods. A substantial part of the nave of the church dates from an early phase (10th–11th centuries), while during the 12th and 13th centuries the monastic buildings were constructed on the north side of the church, of which several structures are still preserved.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, various parts of the church were rebuilt, particularly the chancel, which was provided with a central rectangular apse. New chapels were added in subsequent years. In 1562, during the Wars of Religion, the priory suffered damage and, in 1587, it was sold by the abbey of Tournus; it thus passed into lay hands and underwent further alterations. During the French Revolution, the site was sold and remained in private ownership until the mid-20th century, when it was acquired and the study and restoration of the complex began.
- BARRUOL, Guy (1992). Dauphiné roman. La Nuit des Temps, 77. Zodiaque
- COTTINEAU, Laurent-Henri (1939). Répertoire topo-bibliographique des abbayes et prieurés. Vol. 2. Mâcon: Protat
- CURE, Henri (1905). Saint-Philibert de Tournus. París: Picard
- JUÉNIN, Pierre (1733). Nouvelle histoire de l'abbaïe royale et collegiale de saint Filibert, et de la ville de Tournus. Dijon: De Fay
- KOWALSKI, Jean-Baptiste (2003). Le prieuré bénédictin Sainte-Agnès de La Motte-de-Galaure (Drôme). Le Fil d'ArAr
The priory now forms part of the municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Galaure, located between Valence and Vienne