> Déols Abbey <
The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Déols (also known as the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Bourg-Dieu) is a former Benedictine abbey. All that remains of it today are a bell tower, the fourth bay of the north side aisle, the crypt, the south wall of the nave, the doorway connecting to the cloister, the monks' prison, the chapter house, the "square room" with its carved wall heads, the refectory, the kitchen, and other monastic buildings.
It was founded on September 2, 917, by Ebbes the Noble, Lord of Déols, who drew inspiration from the founding of Cluny Abbey. One of the most important abbeys in France, it was placed under the direct authority of the Pope. Its peak period occurred during the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries.
It never recovered from the Wars of Religion; the abbey buildings subsequently became a quarry from which Prince Henri II de Condé—and later, other administrative bodies—sourced construction materials.
The bell tower, the south wall of the nave, and the visible section of the north wall were designated as Historic Monuments in 1862. Archaeological excavations conducted between 1924 and 1926 made it possible, for the first time, to reconstruct the layout of the great abbey church of Déols.
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