THE BENEDICTINE ABBEY
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A Benedictine abbey steeped in history, dating back to the century, founded by Néel de Nehou, viscount of Saint-Sauveur.
Founded in the 12th century by Néel de Nehou, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur, the abbey has a rich and turbulent past, reflecting the troubled times it has lived through, and was built in 1067 by the Benedictines of Jumièges. The Hundred Years’ War brought the first ruins: Geoffroy d’Harcourt surrendered his castle to the English. Jean Chandos, commander of the English king’s troops, had part of the abbey razed to the ground, and the monks went into exile. On their return around 1640, they set about rebuilding the church in the style of the period. During the French Revolution, the church became a quarry. In 1832, Marie-Madeleine Postel bought the ruins of the abbey and set up the Mother House of her Congregation. All that remained were the rubble of the church and the abbot’s dwelling, two single-storey houses, the monumental porch and the lower part of the building. Restoration was entrusted in part to François Halley, a local artist, architect and self-taught sculptor. He died before completing his work. In 1842, the bell tower, the first element to be restored, collapsed in a storm, taking with it the transept and the first bays of the choir. Mother Foundress, then aged 86, decided to rebuild the edifice: what energy! The church was finally completed and consecrated in 1885. Today, the church is visited at irregular intervals, so contact the abbey or the Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte tourist office for the dates closest to your visit.
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