Port-Royal-des-Champs

Coordinates: 48°44′39″N 2°0′58″E / 48.74417°N 2.01611°E / 48.74417; 2.01611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Port Royal (disambiguation).

48°44′39″N 2°0′58″E / 48.74417°N 2.01611°E / 48.74417; 2.01611

Plan of Port-Royal-des-Champs, after an engraving by Louise-Magdeleine Horthemels, c. 1710

Port-Royal-des-Champs was an abbey of Cistercian nuns in Magny-les-Hameaux, in the Vallée de Chevreuse southwest of Paris that launched a number of culturally important institutions.

History

The abbey was established in 1204, but became famous when its discipline was reformed in 1609 by its

Marie Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661). The Arnauld family became its patrons and the abbey's subsequent history was directed by a number of the members of that family. In 1625 most of the nuns moved to a new Port-Royal in Paris, which subsequently became Port-Royal de Paris
(or, more commonly, Port-Royal) while the older one was known as Port-Royal des Champs ("Port-Royal of the fields").

At the original site, several schools were founded, which became known as the

Jansenius and the implementer of Jansenism
in France. From that point forward, the abbeys and schools of Port-Royal became intimately associated with that school of theology.

La logique, ou l'art de penser, the

Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy
).

The atmosphere of serious study and Jansenist piety attracted a number of prominent cultural figures to the movement, including

Louis XIV. The Jesuits, on the other hand, enjoyed predominance in political and theological power in France and Europe, providing a personal confessor
to the King, etc.

Nuns being forcibly removed from the abbey in 1709.

As a result of the Jesuit attacks on Jansenism, the schools of Port-Royal were regarded as tainted with heresy. Louis XIV wanting peace in the church, the elementary schools were forcibly closed by papal bull in 1660, following the formulary controversy. In 1661, the monastery was forbidden to accept novices, heralding its eventual dissolution. The abbey itself was abolished by a bull from Pope Clement XI in 1708, the remaining nuns forcibly removed in 1709, most of the buildings themselves razed in 1711. The chapel, containing Mère Angélique's tomb, as well as some buildings, still exist in the vast grounds of what eventually became Paris' leading maternity hospital, known as Port-Royal Hospital.

A celebrated history of Port-Royal and its influence was written by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve in 1837-1859.

Museums

The remains of the monastery of Port-Royal-des-Champs may still be seen at Magny-les-Hameaux, in the Chevreuse valley. Operated as Musée de Port-Royal, the 30-hectare estate includes the ruins of the abbey and its outbuildings. A 17th-century building houses the Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs, which exhibits 17th- and 18th-century paintings and engravings.

Gallery

  • Abbey of Port-Royal des Champs, by Louise-Magdeleine Horthemels, c. 1709
  • Caring for the Sick
    Caring for the Sick
  • Distributing Alms to the Poor
    Distributing Alms to the Poor
  • The Sisters of the Abbey
    The Sisters of the Abbey
  • General View
    General View
  • Nuns Meeting in Solitude
    Nuns Meeting in Solitude
  • View of the Refectory
    View of the Refectory

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port-Royal-des-Champs.

Notes

  1. S2CID 170394447
    .

External links

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Port-Royal-des-Champs Abbey.
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