Ambronay Abbey

Ambronay Abbey
Abbey of Our Lady, Ambronay
Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ambronay

Cloister of Ambronay Abbey
Ambronay Abbey
Location in France
46°00′09″N 5°12′51″E / 46.0024°N 5.2142°E / 46.0024; 5.2142
Location Ambronay, Ain
Country France
Denomination Roman Catholic

Ambronay Abbey (French: Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ambronay; Abbey of Our Lady, Ambronay) was a Benedictine abbey situated in the centre of the French village of Ambronay in the Ain department, of which the church and some buildings around the cloister survive.

History

A church was founded on the site by hermits in the 7th century, but this was destroyed by Saracens. A monastery was built here in around 803 by Saint Bernard of Vienne, the first abbot.

Most of the abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution in 1793[1] but the church, although converted into stables, survived and is once again a place of worship.

Description

The surviving structures comprise a cloister and some buildings surrounding it, and the former abbey church, now the parish church of Ambronay. It is principally a Gothic building of the mid-13th century, with 15th-century additions, although the façade of one of the naves dates from the 9th century.

The church is regarded as a sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[2]

Its excellent acoustics have led to its hosting the Ambronay Festival, an international festival of Baroque music.[3]

References

  1. ↑  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Our Lady of Ambronay". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ↑ The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia describes it as "one of the two candles of devotion to Our Lady in the Diocese of Belley".
  3. ↑ Festival d'Ambronay
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