Abbey of Méobecq

The first abbey church of Méobecq was based by Saint Cyran probably on order of the king Dagobert at the 7th century, but the current church dates from the 11th century. Thanks to an old charter which was preserved, we know that the church was devoted saturdays September 3rd 1048.

The abbey of Méobecq was plundered and set fire to at the 16th century at the time of the wars of religion, in particular with the passage of the army of Cop.

At the 17th century, there remained practically nothing any more the prestigious field and the community was removed.

Remain today the abbey church Saint Pierre, some houses and a section of the enclosing wall. The church preserved its Romance apse, of very beautiful capitals with foliages and animals as well as a whole of frescos of the end of the 11th century.

History

  • VIIe century: mythical foundation of the abbey by saint Cyran (Sigirannus), wire of Sigelaïc, count de Bourges then bishop of Turns, under the protection of the king Dagobert (628-638). The Vision of Baronte (chronic of VIIe S) testifies to the establishment of a religious community with Méobecq.
  • VIIe century: Leodaldus (holy Loyau) succeeds Saint Cyran. Its effigy is represented in the murals of the sanctuary.
  • September 3rd 1048: dedication of the abbey church of Méobecq in the honor of Pierre saint, under the presidency of the archbishop of Bourges, Aymon, assisted of a great number of prelates, monks and of monk.
  • XIe century: realization of the murals.
  • March 3rd 1154: sentence of the Anastase pope deciding that the church of Méobecq would be from now on prone church of Parçay in Touraine and he would owe “humble reverence, such as a member must obey the head. ”
  • January 11th 1174: bubble of the pope Alexandre III, by which this Pontife takes under his protection the Monastère and confirms all its possessions.
  • June 19th 1182: Bubble of the Luce pope confirming the tender of the monks of Méobecq to the archbishop's palace of Turns.
  • June 7th 1419: the abbot Jean d' Azay enacts a series of payments to reform certain abuses in the observance of rule monacale, which it made approve by the bishop of Bourges, Guillaume.
  • 1433 : “permission of the King VII to make fortifications of Méobecq and to take the right of boutage of those which will sell wine in detail”. Arch. EPD., H. 282
  • 1520: PEN the person of Champropin, already provided with the abbeys of Fontgombault and Saint-Cyprien of Poitiers. “It had the reputation to be rich and to have force ecus”.
  • 1545 : Jean Maria, cardinal LED Goes up, abbot silent partner of Méobecq. He becomes pope in 1550, under the name of Jules III.
  • Be 1569: the army of Cop, part of Burgundy, passes to Méobecq while going to the seat of Poitiers, occupied by the catholic troops. The order was given to put fire at the frame of the church; the vault of the Nef was quickly set ablaze.
  • 1574 : date engraved on a stone pinnacle (a lantern of deaths?) supported by three pillars of which one carries engraved in hollow the weapons of the abbot of Breuil.
  • 1589 : schedule Henri IV making obligation with the men of Méobecq and Neuillay to take turns the night like sentinel.
  • 1658 : work to close a restricted portion of the nave by a frontage which was opened with the wind since 1569.
  • 1659: terrible a hurricane falls down on the Brenne. The arrow, the tower, the Beffroi with its three bells crumble and involve in their fall the transept crossing and the vaults of the apsidal chapel.
  • 1664 : the bishop of Laval-Montmorency, which had been sent the previous year to the Canada in the apostolic capacity as vicar, takes possession of the abbey of Méobecq. He diverts with the profit of sound évêché of Quebec the income of the abbey of Méobecq.
  • 1665 : according to an investigation into the causes of destruction of the abbey, the monks do not live any more in community from then 80 or 100 years; the chapter house is given up, there is still its furnace bridge out of stone, its jubé to half broken and four or five Cénotaphe S of abbots.
  • 1673 : treaty enters the holders of office of the abbey and François of Laval for the handing-over of their function. Letter patent removing the monastery of Méobecq.
  • August 4th 1706: bubble of the pope issuing the union in the chapter of Quebec.
  • 1789 : As in all the kingdom, Méobecq writes its Registers of grievances.
  • Mars 1834: the southernmost part of the Transept collapses and involves the fall of the adjacent absidiole, where was the vault of Roch saint.
  • 1845 : beginning of the repair work.
  • 1859 : discovered Romance murals under layers of paint by the Dauvergne architect.
  • 1882 - 1912: restoration campaign of the church carried out by the architect Darcy.
  • 2002 : creation of the Association of Safeguard of the Inheritance of Méobecq
  • 2004: restoration of the exterior facades of the church.

Sources

  • E.Hubert, “Canton of Méobecq” extracted from Bas-Berry. History and archeology of the department of Indre , Paris, A. Picard and Wire, 1908, p.489-518

External bonds

  1. More information on Meobecq.googlepages.com

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