ABBEY OF LA GRAINETIÈRE
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Fortified abbey with a remarkable cloister, a Historic Monument in Les Herbiers, the only praying abbey in the Vendée.
Classified as a Historic Monument, the Abbey of Notre-Dame-de-la-Grainetière has a rich history spanning nearly nine centuries, since it was burned three times during the Wars of Religion. In 1130, Benedictines from Saintonge founded a priory here which quickly became prosperous, since Pope Lucius II made it an abbey in 1145. During the Hundred Years' War, this fortified abbey was attacked by the English. During the Wars of Religion, the abbey underwent several attacks by Protestant lords and was partly burned. At the Revolution, the conventual buildings, being abandoned, were sold as national property. The church then became a stone quarry and the buildings were transformed into a farm. In 1963, what remained of the buildings was bought back for restoration purposes. For more than 50 years, numerous restoration works have been undertaken. At the end of 1978, they allowed a community of Benedictine monks to return to the abbey, nearly 200 years after the monks abandoned it shortly after the revolution of 1789. Today, La Grainetière Abbey has some beautiful remains of its past: a remarkable cloister, part of the chapel and the chapter house. There are remodels from the 13th and 15th centuries. It is nowadays the only praying abbey in the Vendée. In 2030, the abbey will celebrate its 900th anniversary! A major project is planned for this purpose: the objective is to restore all the volumes existing in the 12th century.
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