Abbey of Étival-in-Charnie

The abbey of Notre Dame women of Étival-in-Charnie , located at Chemiré-in-Charnie in the the Sarthe, with the borders of the department of the Mayenne, was founded in 1109 thanks to the meeting of the hermit Saint Alleaume, disciple of Robert d' Arbrissel, and of Raoul VII of Beaumont, Viscount of Beaumont.

An abbey of women

The majority of the abbesses of Étival belong to the first noble families of the province of the Maine (of Beaumont, Brienne, Sillé, Face, of Laval, of Bellay, Thimble, Courtalvert, etc…). Thirty and one abbesses follow one another the head of the house of the bénédictines, until in 1790. Among them:

1109 Godehilde , the founder, before with the Abbey of Ronceray of Angers; it is the sister of Raoul de Beaumont, and thus the girl of Hubert II of Beaumont, victorious of the seat of Holy-Suzanne of 1083 with 1086.

The abbey

the abbey, rebuilt after an accidental fire in 1511, is one of the richest abbeys of Maine: of a surface of 1200 hectares, equipped with two ponds of which one of seven hectares, a mill, of a lime kiln, forging mills, it is also a “company” of 45 employees.
This abbey becomes with the passing of years a place of important worship and culture (one made there translations of Latin works, treaties various and religious works), as well as a refuge for persecuted disturbed times which are the Inquisition and the French revolution.
1789 : Fourteen moniales from chorus and six converse still occupy the abbey when they are expelled by it. The abbey is destroyed in major part by the revolutionists and the refugees perish, as well as the nuns.
After a very precise inventory of the revolutionary government of 1790, which estimates its value at 400.000 books, the abbey is sold 30.000 books, then is used as stone quarry starting from 1792. In a few years, there remain nothing any more the nave, nor of the cloister.
Under the Empire, of rebuilding works is carried out and the abbey finds its prestige of antan, in particular by the visit, during its inauguration, of the pope Pie VII in person.

Seul remains nowadays the old northern brace of the transept of the abbey church of Bénédictines of the 12th century, transformed into vault, to which are attached a absidiole (with two columns at the base, like the abbey ones of the Seam with the Mans or of Avesnières to Laval) and a capital worked) and a sacristy. Of an employment running at the time, of the buttresses the walls in the angles shoulder. A Romance window appears on the top of the pinion with broad archstones, the low door being with two ferrugineous sandstone curves. Inside one can observe the modifications of the openings throughout the six centuries of operation of the abbey (of 1109 with 1790). A mural fresco represents an abbess holding in her right hand a stick and its left hand a half-opened book. Tomb stone of the 15th century-16th century, ( ISMH 1989 ) fragment of the tombstone of Jeanne of Laval (abbess). Retable of 1780 composed of double consoles and capitals on plain pilasters. One can appreciate the capitals of the columns external of the apse of the 12th century and the stained glass with the weapons of Raoul de Beaumont. The furnace bridge, brought back at the time of the restoration of 1900, is signed of the sculptor Lebrun (1779, ISMH 1989 ).

Restoration

After forty years of abandonment, fault of resources, the vault is restored at the dawn of the 20th century, using a subsidy of the Commission of the historic buildings of the the Sarthe and several particular subscriptions, under the direction of Robert Triger, President of the historical and archaeological Société of the Maine , General inspector of the French company of archeology . The abbot Sergeant being cleaned, and Mr. Leroy, Mayor, of Chemiré-in-Charnie, the vault is returned to the worship on Thursday, July 11 1901, festival of the translation of the relics of Sainte Scholastic.

In 1901 and 1902, of the archaeological excavations make it possible to find the plan of the abbey, with the church and the vault of the Viscounts of Beaumont, the cloister, the chapter, the abbey apartment, the conventual buildings, - kitchen, dormitories, dining room -, and the agricultural premises. They also attest that the Romance chorus was replaced by a Gothic chorus. It is probable that the plan and dimensions of abbey were in the beginning close relations of the churches of Pre to the Mans, of Saint-Remy cheese of Sillé-the-Guillaume, or Tennie.
the vault is classified Historic building since a decree of November 7th 1973.

The statuary

Small retable carried out of wood by the sculptor Lebrun in 1780 (ISMH 1989)
Tomb stone (of the Jeanne abbess of Laval) 15th century (ISMH 1989)
Virgin with the child
statue of Holy Hackney carriage
statue of Holy Alleaume
statue of Holy Scholastic
Christ in cross (ISMH)

The lying ones of Étival-in-Charnie

Several lying of stone found at the 19th century with the abbey of Étival-in-Charnie under the ground of what was the sacristy, is preserved at the archaeological museum of Tessé to the Mans:

Statue (lying) of the 12th century, or the first quarter of the 13th century, mutilated enough, representing a Viscount of Beaumont, perhaps Raoul II, founder of the abbey of Étival-in-Charnie in 1109, and from which comes this lying, unless it does not act of Raoul V, died in 1230.
Statue (lying), of first half of the 13th century, a Viscount of Beaumont, perhaps Raoul III, unless it is not about Raoul VI, died towards 1326.
Statue (lying) of second half of the 13th century, or the first quarter of the 14th century, representing a Viscount of Beaumont, perhaps Richard III, wire of Raoul III, died in 1249, unless it is not about Guillaume, older brother of Richard III, or Jean Ier de Brienne, wire of Louis de Brienne and Agnès de Beaumont, died towards 1320. Comes from the old abbey from Étival-in-Charnie.

Precision inscription: Armorial bearings: ecu with the weapons of the Viscounts of Beaumont.

Statue (lying) of second half of the 13th century, or the first quarter of the 14th century, a lady of Beaumont, perhaps Mathilde', wife of Richard III, or Agnes de Beaumont, girl of Raoul VI, wife of Louis Ier de Beaumont.

Date protection MH: January 24th 1979; References: PM72000541 with 544.

The commune

Étival-in-Charnie, which was a parish with whole share (the worship was celebrated in the vault) was attached to Chemiré-in-Charnie in 1809 per decree of Napoleon i.
Étival was known also at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century for its breeding of more than 8000 geese (most of the production was, via the station of Chemiré-in-Charnie, exported in England).
During the Second world war, the village knows the occupation; young people of the area engage in the maquis of Étival, which is tragically repressed by 120 German and 80 militiamans on June 20th 1944. Are shot close to the pond of the abbey:

Francisque Eugene Nozzle , parachuted English;
Claude Hilleret , young French patriot, both members of the Franco-English mobile groups of the the Sarthe.

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