Fontevraud Abbey Chapel.

Tomb of Richard I of England and Isabella of Angoulême (at back)

Courtyard inside Fontevraud Abbey.

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Fontevraud Abbey

The Fontevraud Abbey (or Fontevrault Abbey) is located in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was constructed between 1110 and 1119 and founded by Robert d'Abrissel who had just created a new order. Image File history File links Fontevraud_Chapel. ... Image File history File links Fontevraud_Chapel. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1331 KB)Tomb of Richard I of England at Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon, in Anjou, France. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1331 KB)Tomb of Richard I of England at Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon, in Anjou, France. ... Image File history File links Fontevraud. ... Image File history File links Fontevraud. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Fontevraud-lAbbaye is a commune of the Maine-et-Loire département, in France. ... Chinon is a town and commune of the Indre-et-Loire département in France. ... Anjou is a former county (c. ... Events December 4 - First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon. ... Events February 2 - Callixtus II becomes Pope August 20 - Henry I of England routes Louis VI at the Battle of Bremule. ...

History

The monastery became quite successful, attracting many rich and noble abbesses over the years. The Plantagenets were large benefactors of the Abbey and King Henry II's sister Mathilde was Abbess at Fontevraud. During the French Revolution, the order was dissolved. The Tikse monastery in Ladakh, India A monastery is the habitation of monks, derived from the Greek word for a hermits cell. ... An Abbess (Latin abbatissa, fem. ... Angevin is the name applied to two distinct medieval dynasties which originated as counts (from 1360, dukes) of the western French province of Anjou (of which angevin is the adjectival form), but later came to rule far greater areas including England, Hungary and Poland (see Angevin Empire). ... Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. ... The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period in the history of France. ...

The Abbey later became a prison ,from 1804 to 1963. In 1963, it was given to the French Ministry of Culture. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Features

The abbey contains the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine, her husband King Henry II of England, their son King Richard I of England, their daughter Joan, their grandson Raymond VII of Toulouse, and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of their son King John. An abbey (from the Latin abbatia, which is derived from the Syriac abba, father), is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serve as the spiritual father or mother of the community. ... Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine (Bordeaux, France,c. ... Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. ... Richard I (September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199) was King of England from 1189 to 1199. ... Joan of England was the name of four female members of the medieval English royal family (later, retroactively, known as the Plantagenet dynasty). ... Raymond VII of Saint-Gilles (July, 1197 - September 27, 1249) was count of Toulouse, duke of Narbonne and marquis of Provence. ... Isabella of Angouleme (c. ... John of England depicted in Cassells History of England (1902) John (French: Jean) (December 24, 1166/67–October 18/19, 1216) reigned as King of England from 1199 to 1216. ...

Miscellaneous

Jean Genet wrote about his experiences as a thirty-year-old prisoner at Fontevrault in his semi-autobiographical novel, Miracle de la rose. Jean Genet (December 19, 1910 - April 15, 1986), was a prominent, sometimes infamous, French writer and later political activist. ... The Miracle of the Rose (French: Miracle de la rose) is a 1946 book by Jean Genet about his experiences as a detainee at Mettray Youth detention centre and Fontevrault prison. ...

External link

• http://www.abbaye-fontevraud.com
• Catholic Encyclopedia article