The Abbey of Notre-Dame d’Aulps originated as a Benedictine monastery which, shortly after its foundation, adopted Cistercian customs. It was established in a mountainous setting, where it remained active until the Revolution. Today only the ruins of the church survive.
The monastery of Aulps was founded at the end of the 11th century as a monastic cell dependent on the Abbey of Molesme (Côte-d’Or), at that time under the abbacy of Robert of Molesme (c. 1028–1111) and engaged in a profound reform movement that would lead to the creation of the Cistercian Order. In this context, around 1094, the monks Guy († c. 1110) and Guérin of Mousson (c. 1065–1150) left Molesme to settle at Aulps, under the protection of the lords of Maurienne and Faucigny and with the support of Guy of Faucigny, Bishop of Geneva. It was a Benedictine monastic community in which a form of life close to eremitism was practised.
Affiliation of Aulps
According to Originum Cisterciensium (L. Janauschek, 1877)
The rapid development of Aulps led to its elevation to the rank of abbey in 1097, under the leadership of Guy, who became its first abbot. It is considered that during this phase of expansion Aulps took part in the foundation of other monasteries, such as Hautecombe (Savoy), Bonmont (Switzerland) and Balerne (Jura). A bull issued by Pope Calixtus II in 1119 guaranteed its right to elect its abbot, freeing it from episcopal oversight. Aulps was incorporated into the Cistercian Order in 1136, in parallel with the above-mentioned abbeys. In 1138 Abbot Guérin resigned his office to assume the episcopal see of Sion; upon his death he was buried in the church of Aulps.
The abbey enjoyed the protection of local lords and also of Humbert III of Savoy (1136–1189), who contributed to the construction of the monastery. Aulps accumulated considerable economic and social influence, and devotion to the relics of Abbot Saint Guérin developed there; however, in the mid-14th century it also suffered from the effects of the plague. The village of Saint-Jean-d’Aulps likewise developed under the shelter of the monastery. In 1468 a new period began with the introduction of the commendatory regime, marking the start of a decline of varying intensity according to circumstances. In 1779, when the community had already become very small, the abbatial mensa was assigned to the bishopric of Chambéry.
Community life came to an end with the Revolution: in 1792–1793 the monks left the monastery. The fire that destroyed the parish church of Saint-Jean-d’Aulps in 1823 led to the demolition of the abbey church in order to reuse its ashlar stones, which were also employed in other buildings of the village. In 1902 the site began to be protected as a historic monument and, in the last decade of the 20th century, the lands of the former monastic enclosure were acquired, initiating their study and restoration.
Nice et Savoie: sites pittoresques (1864)
Old postcard, private collection
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The ruins of the Abbey of Aulps belong to the commune of Saint-Jean-d’Aulps (Haute-Savoie), situated in a mountainous area south of Lake Léman