The abbey has had a rather checkered history, and an end comparable to many other religious establishments in the region. It would have been founded in the years 1150 by a group of Cistercian monks accompanied by their abbot, after agreement of the local lord (Elbe de Mauléon). At the end of 1166, Isaac, Abbot of l'Etoile (ar. Châtellerault), having sided with Archbishop Thomas Becket, had to take refuge there for seven months. The buildings are established on the current site, near a stronghold which will then be demolished. The monastery will then gradually take off and govern most of the land of the island.
The current ruins, however, date only from the 14th century. Indeed, the abbey was destroyed for the first time in 1294 by the English fleet, then rebuilt. It was again partially destroyed twice during the Hundred Years War: in 1388, then again in 1462. This time the damage was more serious and led to a general repair, in particular of the abbey church of Notre-Dame. Finally, in 1574, during the Wars of Religion, the Huguenots ravaged the buildings which were then abandoned by the Cistercian monks. In 1625, some of the stones from the monastery were used for the construction of the nearby Fort de la Prée. The rest of the ruins are placed under the jurisdiction of the Oratorians, who transform the choir of the old abbey into a chapel and dedicate it to Saint Laurent, a status that it will keep until 1793.
The ruins will then gradually deteriorate, but their use as a landmark for boats (the facade of the abbey will be painted in black and white for a long time) leads to regular restoration campaigns.
The abbey was restored in 1997 by the General Council of Charente-Maritime.
Translated by Google •
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