Barbeaux, Abbey of
BARBEAUX, ABBEY OF
Former French abbey, Diocese of Sens. Barbeaux was founded in 1146 by cistercians of Preuilly on the site of an early hermitage (Sacer Portus ), but in 1156 it was transferred to Barbeaux, donated by King Louis VII. The king continued to be a generous benefactor of the abbey and, according to his wishes, was buried there. In spite of royal patronage the monastery suffered during the Hundred Years' War and was deserted for 40 years. Reconstruction was hampered when Barbeaux came under commendatory abbots after 1498. When the 17 monks of the community embraced the Cistercian Strict Observance in 1643, there followed a period of financial and moral recovery. In 1768, there were ten monks in the abbey, while revenues amounted to 18,500 livres. The abbey was suppressed by the French Revolution. While under private ownership, the church and cloister were demolished. Other buildings housed an orphanage in the Napoleonic era.
Bibliography: c. rabourdin, L'Abbaye royale de Barbeaux (Melun 1895). u. chevalier, Répertoire des sources historiques du moyen-âge. Topobibliographie, 2 v. (Paris 1894–1903) 1:307. j. m. canivez, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912–) 6: 629–631. l. h. cottineau, Répertoire topobibliographique des abbayes et prieurés, 2 v. (Mâcon 1935–39) 1:260–261.
[l. j. lekai]