The history of Vauluisant Abbey

Vauluisant Abbey is a Cistercian abbey located in Yonne, France, founded in 1127 by monks from Preuilly Abbey. The chosen site was an area between the forests of Othe and Lancy, near the borders of Île-de-France, Champagne and Burgundy, that had come to be far from human habitation. The abbey was consecrated by Henri Sanglier, the archbishop of Sens, on 1 April 1129. By 1140, the abbey was fully operational, and the abbey church was consecrated in 1149.

During the second half of the 12th century, granges were established to cultivate abbey lands far from the abbey itself, including at Beauvais and Toucheboeuf, worked by lay brothers who lived communally. The abbey produced ironworks and tileworks fuelled by the dense woodlands, selling the surplus in market towns such as Troyes, Provins, and Sens. During the Hundred Years War, the abbey was attacked and its mills destroyed several times, but the ancient structures were repaired and rebuilt in the 15th century with the return of royal authority.

In 1636, Cardinal Richelieu imposed a reform, replacing the monks with strict Cistercians. Throughout its history, the abbey hosted notable figures, including François I with his court and Jacques de Savoie, 2nd Duc de Nemours, who was born there in 1531. Today, Vauluisant remains a historical site and is open to visitors Sunday afternoons from April to October.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons