Saint-Sauveur de Villeloin Abbey

The Abbey of Saint-Sauveur de Villeloin is a former Benedictine abbey located in Villeloin-Coulangé, in the French department of Indre-et-Loire. It was founded during the ninth century by two knights, Mainard and Mainerius. The abbey was destroyed by English troops in 1360 and again in 1412.

The abbey became prosperous thanks to numerous donations. We know that Villeloin Abbey was important in terms of the number of monks and land holdings. On August 11, 1301, during his visit to Loches, Philippe le Bel stayed at the abbey.

Left in ruins by the French Revolution, the abbey was listed in 1927. In 1921, two crosiers were discovered during excavations. The presence of these two crosiers in the environment of Villeloin Abbey gives an indication of its original location, founded as early as the ninth century, in the medieval period. These two objects, especially the enamelled crozier, were precious, very expensive and seem to indicate that their owners were abbots of some renown.

The Abbey of Saint-Sauveur de Villeloin has been listed as a Monuments Historiques (in english: historical monument) since 1927, by four different decrees. The church dates from the 12th century. The former priory, Renaissance pavilion and towers date from the 16th century. The former convent dates from the 17th century. Former church: listed by decree of March 18, 1927; facade and 17th-century portal of the former convent; door of the former chapel: listed by decree of May 20, 1927; former priory with Renaissance pavilion and turret; large entrance portal; the two towers of the drawbridge and the tower to the east of the drawbridge: listed by decree of May 20, 1927; Renaissance pavilion and large square tower: listed by decree of May 20, 1927.

Foundation
The chivalry Mainard intended to found a monastery, "in pago videlicet Turonico, super fluvium cui nomen est Andrisco in loco qui dicitur, rustico vocàbulo, Villalupa." (sentence in Latin from the Cartulaire de Cormery, translated as follows: "namely, in Touraine in the village, near the river, whose name is Andrisco in the place they say, whose rustic name was Villalupa. "). A diploma from Emperor Louis shows that, in the time of Charles II the Bald and in his own time, the brothers Mainard and Mainerius gave Audacher, abbot of Cormery, a place called Villeloin to build a new monastery in honor of the Holy Savior. But it was not Louis the Pious who did so, as Charles the Bald survived him. This charter may therefore be considered apocryphal. Nevertheless, Mainard and Mainerius were indeed the founders of Villeloin, and it was Abbot Audacher who presided over its construction. It was built during the reign of Charles II, King of the Franks, who in 850 gave his approval and placed it under the authority of the Cormery abbey (also run by Benedictines). Once completed, the basilica was consecrated by Archbishop Herard in 859, who decided, with Audacher's consent, that there should be at least twenty monks in the monastery. In the same way that Cormery depended on Saint-Martin, Villeloin was dependent on Cormery, and was initially run by the abbots of Cormery.

Important events
In 965, the monks of Villeloin begged Guy d'Anjou, abbot of Cormery, to allow them to elect their own abbot, which he granted, and they elected Huncbertus, who was consecrated by Archbishop Hardouin.

After 1060. Foulques, Count of Anjou, granted Villeloin customs "in villa Hispaniacus, etc.". His warlord Lisois d'Amboise is buried in the abbey church (Jacques-Xavier Carré de Busserolle, tome VI, p. 421). In 1156, Pope Adrian IV confirmed their possessions; Innocent IV in 1253.

In 1301, King Philippe approved Charles le Chauve's diploma. On August 11, 1301, during his trip to Loches, Philippe le Bel stayed in the abbey: "Later, a brilliant and numerous procession entered Villeloin, leaving the next day and crossing the forest to go to Loches; it was King Philippe le Bel, accompanied by his royal wife, Jeanne de Navarre, Countess of Champagne, Bric and Bigorre, daughter of Henri I, King of Navarre. The prince and princess stayed eight days in Loches and returned via Villeloin".

We are also aware of the important donations that served as the economic basis for the community's life, notably that of the La Béraudière estate made in 1335 by Ingelger d'Amboise. A fine tithe barn still exists, outside the boundaries of the abbey depicted in the seventeenth-century engraving.

During the Hundred Years' War, Villeloin, like many abbeys, suffered from the war. The English seized it in 1360, establishing a large garrison that spread throughout the country. In 1361, the monks succeeded in buying back their convent from the occupiers for the substantial sum of 9,000 gold florins. Most of the ransom was paid by Gautier de Châteauchallons, a close associate of the Count of Auxerre. It was therefore a case of royal political intervention. This practice of buying back buildings and prisoners was common at the time.

The monastery buildings were devastated in 1412 by English troops. In the same year, the monks obtained from King Charles VI that the watch and guard of the abbey should be taken over by the inhabitants, who had previously performed these duties on behalf of Loches.

By the early 15th century, the buildings were in a very poor state of repair. Reconstruction began in 1417, but it was mainly after the Hundred Years' War, in 1464, that the fortifications were rebuilt for use during the Wars of Religion.

In 1664, Michel de Marolles, abbot of Villeloin, assembled a veritable treasure trove in his library. He had 150 coats of arms painted, representing Europe's major cities and luminaries. He collected 123,400 prints (including over 200 by Rembrandt) and over 400 large volumes.

In 1667, with the consent of the Abbé de Marolles, monks from the Congregation of Saint Maur entered the convent to establish the reform, which did not really take effect until January 1, 1669.

The departure in 1790 of the abbey's last four Benedictine monks (Emmanuel Charpentier, the prior, Maurice Vallère, François Lecoq and Jean-Louis de Maussabré, the monks ) left the field open to various purchasers of biens nationaux. Each of them, in order to close themselves off from their neighbors, built walls using materials from demolished buildings. The church was destroyed shortly after the revolution.

The abbey's annals from 1464 to 1629
The annals of Villeloin Abbey, from 1464 to 1629, are known precisely from a manuscript written in the same convent.

The Tours library holds an unnamed manuscript written in the seventeenth century; it was transcribed by a copyist under the very eyes of its author. The author is Pierre Brunet, whose name appears repeatedly in the manuscript and whose monogram appears at the head of the work.

Pierre Brunet, a Benedictine monk from Villeloin, successively held various positions in the abbey. After spending some time at the priory of Grandmont-Villiers, Brunet was received as a novice at Villeloin on February 20, 1588; and, as he was recognized as having solid intellectual qualities, he was given the task of teaching "grammar", which he did for four years. On February 26 of the following year, he was admitted to the Order of St. Benedict. Pierre Brunet celebrated his first mass on August 5, 1590, and his active mind and sound judgment led to him being asked on several occasions to take on difficult missions to defend the rights of the convent, particularly in Paris and Tours. On January 20, 1605, he was appointed to the "office de prevosté" and, a little later, to the "scribe du chapitre", a position he held until 1612.

In this capacity, under the Abbot's direction, Pierre Brunet classified and copied the various titles of the convent, which he collected in several carefully bound volumes, a task he had to interrupt due to illness. On March 22, 1613, he was chosen as sacristan, which led him to draw up the terrier (land register) of the property belonging to the sacristy, then to that belonging to the sub-priory, not without clarifying the various rights. Meanwhile, in 1617, his devotion led him to copy the Book of Spiritual Doctrine by Saint Étienne de Muret, founder of the Grandmont order, and the manuscript appears to be the one in the Tours library. The abbots, whom he often accompanied on their travels, successively entrusted him with the care of delicate affairs, or of winning the good graces of the most important figures. These testimonials of confidence were crowned by his appointment in May 1622 to the dignity of Prior, which established him as the monastic director of the convent, with the abbots, commendataires taking particular care of temporal matters.

In this role, Brunet brought the spirit of piety and regularity that had marked his entire career. In everything, he set the perfect example of a religious man. On more than one occasion, he did not hesitate to make his conscience heard when the interests of religious or the dignity of monastic life were not sufficiently respected and protected. With his noble, disinterested spirit, truly enamored of the beauty of the ascetic life in its highest sense, Brunet has well deserved both his convent and the Benedictine order in general.

Dom Brunet, with his distinguished and carefully ornamented intelligence, combined his taste for historical research with a knowledge of antiquity, and was very familiar with the classics. His first task was to write a simple, unpretentious history of the abbey, based on the documents kept in the chartrier and his personal recollections, under the title of "Mémoire". The first event refers to the year 1464, and the chronicle ends with the year 1629. In addition to recounting events relating to Conventual life, Brunet took special care to note the arts and the work carried out in the abbey and its outbuildings, making a valuable contribution to the artistic history of the region. The festivities, the visits of people of quality, the sumptuous existence of the abbots, the picture of feudal and rural life, the curious incidents, the thousand details of each day, give this account a very special interest. In addition, it frequently reflects public events and the deeds of several princes and great lords, especially in their dealings with the abbey.

Dom Brunet's temperament and culture attracted the attention of the Abbé de Marolles. The learned abbot was very fond of his prior and, in accordance with his remarks, was grateful for his excellent dispositions, particularly in his "laborious writings, and especially in the great Inventory of all the titles of the House of Nevers". Dom Brunet's chronicle is therefore a mine of precious information, which can be considered as an introduction to the Memoirs of the Abbé de Marolles.

Here is the title of this memoir: "Mémoire de plusieurs bastiments, reparations, dons et actes mémorables faictz tant par les Reverends abbés de ceste abbaye de Villeloing que religieux d'icelle depuis deus cents ans. 1629. ".

We do not know when Dom Brunet died. Why did he not continue writing his chronicle? Perhaps the reason lay in his proximity to the Abbé de Marolles. Knowing the abbot's intention to write a general history of Touraine, the Benedictine did not see fit to continue.

The abbey's possessions
1207. Geoffroil de la Lande, archbishop of Tours, acknowledges the donation by Sulpice, lord of Amboise, of the island of Amboise to the monks of Villeloin. "De Insula Ambasioe.

1253. Pope Innocent IV confirms possession of "de Chedigne" (Chédigny), "de Chisseyo" (Chissay-en-Touraine), "de Chedon" (Saint-Julien-de-Chédon), "de Colengeio" (Coulangé), "de Francolio" (Francueil), "de Locheio" (Loches), "De Marioli" (Mareuil-sur-Cher), "de Montistessauri." (Montrésor), "de Sivraia" (Civray-sur-Cher, now Civray-de-Touraine), "de Suer." (Le Serrain, now Semblançay) and the church "de Espeigneio." (Épeigné-les-Bois)

1255. Pope Innocent IV confirms the donations and possessions of the Villeloin abbey "de Nogento" (Nouans-les-Fontaines).

The priories of Épeigné, Francueil, Saint-Martin-de-Verton, Saint-Sauveur d'Amboise, Saint-Pantaléon-de-Sur, Luçay-le-Mâle, Cros, Vou and Saint-Médard depended on the Villeloin abbey.

Robert de Lénoncourt
Robert de Lénoncourt (b. 1510 - d. February 2, 1561), who was Abbot of Villeloin between 1551 and 1557, was also Count-Bishop of Châlons-en-Champagne and Metz, Archbishop of Embrun, Auxerre, Sabine, Arles and Toulouse. He had already been a cardinal since 1538.

Achille de Harlay de Sancy
Achille de Harlay de Sancy (b. Paris, 1581 - d. Saint-Malo, November 26, 1646), baron de Sancy, before becoming bishop of Saint-Malo, was abbot of Villeloin between 1597 and 1607.

Michel de Marolles
Abbé Michel de Marolles (born in Genillé (Indre-et-Loire) on July 22, 1600; died in Paris on March 6, 1681) was a French translator and historian, renowned for his collection of prints. Tonsured in 1610, he was Abbé de Villeloin from 1626 to 1674. Author of numerous verse translations of Latin authors, he was a frequent visitor to salons, notably Madeleine de Scudéry's. Michel de Marolles, abbé de Villeloin, is best remembered for the collection of prints he amassed: over 120,000 engravings (including more than 200 by Rembrandt), which Colbert bought for King Louis XIV.

Villeloin Abbey crosses
During work carried out in the Villeloin-Coulangé commune in the early 1920s, two abbey crooks were found:

A thirteenth-century pastoral crozier has been listed as a monuments historiques since July 9, 1921. It was unearthed by Monsieur Charles Paillaud on February 26, 1921. It was located in a tomb, under the paving of a room that was identified at the time as the former chapter house of the Saint-Sauveur de Villeloin abbey. This 0.16 m (0′ 6″) ivory crosier is dated to around the year 1200. It was found associated with the bronze bouterolle (or cuspes) that terminated its shaft. The Musée de Cluny was able to acquire this rare piece in April 1929. It is on display in the museum's ivory room.

A second crosier was unearthed in the same room as the first on July 13, 1921. It is a work of Limousin enameling. It was made around 1220-1235. Made of pressed copper, champlevé, engraved, enameled and gilded. Medium blue enamel. Height 32.7 cm - Width 18 cm. It shows the crowning of the Virgin Mary in the scroll and the Annunciation on the socket. For many years, it was on display at the Hôtel Goüin museum in Tours, now closed.

Geography

 * Indre-et-Loire
 * Touraine

History

 * Michel de Marolles

Politics and administration

 * Villeloin-Coulangé
 * Communauté de communes de Montrésor