Lyre Abbey facts for kids
Lyre Abbey (17th century)
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | The Abbey of Our Lady of Lyre |
| Other names | Abbaye Notre-Dame de Lyre |
| Order | by mid-12th century Benedictine |
| Established | 1046 |
| Disestablished | 1790 |
| Dedicated to | Virgin Mary |
| Diocese | Rouen |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | William FitzOsbern, Lord of Breteuil, Earl of Hereford. |
| Important associated figures | Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, Thomas Becket, Cardinals Jean Le Veneur, Hippolyte d'Este, Louis d’Este, Louis of Lorraine (1586-1588), Louis of Lorraine (1593-1598), Jacques Davy Duperron, Armand Gaston Maximilien de Rohan Maurists. |
| Site | |
| Location | La Vieille-Lyre, Eure, France |
| Coordinates | 48°55′06″N 0°45′00″E / 48.9183°N 0.75°E |
| Visible remains | part of abbot’s residence |
Lyre Abbey (also known as L'abbaye Notre-Dame de Lyre in French) was a very old monastery in a region of France called Normandy. It was started way back in 1046 in a village now called La Vieille-Lyre. From the mid-1100s, it became a Benedictine house, meaning it followed the rules of Saint Benedict. The abbey was closed down during the French Revolution in 1790, and most of its buildings were destroyed.
Contents
History of Lyre Abbey
How the Abbey Started
Many monasteries were built in Normandy during the 1000s. Lyre Abbey was founded in 1046, around the same time as other famous abbeys like Bec Abbey and the two big monasteries in Caen.
The abbey was founded by William FitzOsbern (who lived from about 1020 to 1071) and his wife, Adeliza de Tosny. William FitzOsbern was a close friend and relative of William the Conqueror. He was one of the few people known to have fought alongside William the Conqueror at the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066.
After the Normans conquered England, William FitzOsbern became a very powerful lord. He received a lot of land in England. He was very generous and gave much of this land to Lyre Abbey. Because of his gifts, Lyre Abbey became one of the Norman abbeys with the most land in England, as recorded in the Domesday Book.
Growth and Challenges
Throughout the 1100s, Lyre Abbey continued to receive land and money in both England and Normandy. A major supporter during this time was Robert de Beaumont, a powerful earl who was close to Kings Henry I and Stephen.
During this period, the abbey's scriptorium (a room where monks copied and decorated books) was very busy. This shows how important and respected the abbey was. The monks created beautiful illuminated manuscripts (books with fancy drawings and decorations), which can now be found in libraries across Europe.
The monks started rebuilding their church in the mid-1100s, but a fire destroyed it in 1188. They began rebuilding again in 1199, and this new church lasted until the French Revolution.
In the 1200s, the abbey bought even more land and collected more money. A visit in 1269 by Eudes Rigaud, the Archbishop of Rouen, showed that there were 37 monks living at the monastery. Another 15 monks lived in England or Wales at smaller priories (like mini-monasteries) that belonged to Lyre Abbey. These included Carisbrooke Priory on the Isle of Wight and Hinckley Priory in Leicestershire.
Times of Decline
Over time, the Benedictine order faced challenges. Other new religious groups, like the Cistercian Order and the mendicant orders (such as the Franciscans and Dominicans), became more popular. Wealthy people started giving their donations to these newer groups, which meant less money for older monasteries like Lyre Abbey.
The Hundred Years' War made things even worse for the abbey. It was attacked and robbed twice by the forces of King Charles II of Navarre (also known as Charles the Bad) around 1359 and again in 1365.
In 1419, Normandy came under English rule. In 1430, a new abbot named Guillaume le Bas was appointed. He was a monk from Jumièges Abbey. However, the monks at Lyre Abbey didn't want him because they thought he was too friendly with the English. In 1440, English soldiers had to escort him to the abbey so he could take his place.
When French forces led by Charles VII of France took back the territory in 1449, Guillaume le Bas accepted the new French rule. But his own monks still opposed him. He finally left the abbey in 1463 when he was made a bishop in Greece.
Commendatory Abbots and Maurist Reform
A new problem for Lyre Abbey, and many other monasteries, was the arrival of "commendatory abbots." These were important people, often not even monks, who were appointed to lead monasteries as a reward for serving the king. They usually didn't live at the monastery. Instead, they took a large part of the abbey's money for themselves, leaving less for the monks and for repairs.
In the early 1500s, the commendatory abbot of Lyre was a Cardinal who was also the Bishop of Lisieux. He held the same job at six other abbeys at the same time, including Mont-Saint-Michel and Bec. While the money went to these abbots, many monastery buildings fell apart because there wasn't enough money for upkeep.
A big change happened in 1646 when the commendatory abbot, Jacques Le Noël du Perron, brought the Maurist reform to the abbey. The Maurists were a group of Benedictine monks who wanted to bring back a stricter, more scholarly way of life.
At first, more monks joined the community. They introduced a simpler lifestyle and focused on studying and learning. From the late 1600s, the Maurists rebuilt almost all the abbey buildings. However, this new energy didn't attract many new monks, and by 1698, there were only 7 monks left.
Even with the Maurist reform, commendatory abbots continued to be appointed. In the 1700s, Lyre Abbey was led by two important church leaders from the House of Rohan.
The End of the Abbey
Lyre Abbey came to an end during the French Revolution in two stages.
First, on February 13, 1790, the National Assembly decided to close all religious orders. This put the ten monks at Lyre Abbey in a difficult situation. Their relationship with the local villagers was already strained. Revolutionary ideas made people dislike landowners, and the monks owned a lot of land.
On the night of May 16, some of the abbey's valuable items were stolen. Some locals even accused the monks themselves of taking them. As things got worse, the monks (except for the prior and subprior) were held captive in their own home for months. When they were finally allowed to leave, the abbey, as a community of monks, ended its existence after 750 years.
In the second stage, the abbey buildings, like all church properties in France, were declared to belong to the state. They were rented out starting in September 1790 and then sold off in pieces. The abbey church was made the local parish church, but it was in such bad condition that the villagers went back to their old church.
In November 1797, part of the abbey church collapsed. In early 1798, it was decided to sell off the rest of the buildings. There was a huge demolition. Stones and even old funeral monuments were taken away, and trees were cut down. By 1804, an official survey noted that there was almost no trace of the abbey left, except for a small part of the abbot's house.
See also
- List of Benedictine monasteries in France
Reading
- Charles Guéry, Histoire de l’abbaye de Lyre, Imprimerie de l’Eure, Évreux, 1917. gallica.bnf.fr
- Laurent Ridel, Nigel Wilkins, Notre-Dame de Lyre : Histoire d'une abbaye disparue, Mont-Saint-Aignan, Presses universitaires de Rouen et du Havre, 2019, (ISBN 979-10-240-0452-5).
