Redon Abbey
Redon Abbey, or Abbey of Saint-Sauveur, Redon ("Abbey of the Holy Saviour";
History
In 832 Ratwili, a local noble, gave Conwoïon and his companions
Both Count
When the founder, Ratwili, fell ill, the monks were able to cure him. Out of gratitude he sent his son Liberius into the monastery as an oblate and made it further gifts of land. The abbey also received numerous gifts from local free peasants (machtierni), which admittedly were often contested by their relatives. Additionally, in the Frankish lands east of the Vilaine the abbey gradually acquired possessions, which they increased by strategic land purchases. Some smaller monasteries seem to have put themselves under the authority of Redon, more or less willingly. By 870 there were already 25 monks in the community.
In 863
: Maixent).In 867 Conwoïon stepped down from the office of abbot on account of his advanced age, and died a year later, on 5 January 868. His successor was Ritcant (867-871). During his leadership Redon, like the whole region round the mouths of the Loire and the Vilaine, suffered greatly from the attacks of the heathen Normans. In 852 the church escaped destruction only by an apparent miracle: the Normans were sailing up the Loire in two fleets, when they were forced by a storm to take shelter in the abandoned church, where they lit the candles from the altar and some drank the communion wine. Those who drank the wine, became delirious and died, while those who had not drunk it, survived.
The monks of Redon were at last forced by the invasions to withdraw in 921 to Auxerre and in 924 to Poitou, and were not able to return to their own monastery until the end of the 10th century.
The abbey reached its height during the late 11th century and the 12th century, when it governed 27 priories and 12 parishes throughout Brittany, and was a popular pilgrimage destination.[5]
In 1478 the abbey passed into the control of
In 1839 the property was acquired by the Eudists, who transformed it into a college. It is now a private Catholic school.
Other burials
Buildings
Under Conwoïon two churches were built, one dedicated to
The monastery consisted of a
The crossing tower and parts of the porch are Romanesque, of the 11th century.. The nave, with an octagonal cupola, was extended in the 12th century in the Gothic style, and the transept and the cloister were also added then. The present choir is of the 13th century. A fire in 1780 damaged the nave, and it was rebuilt shorter than it had been previously. This accounts for the separation of the Gothic bell tower, which before the fire was attached to the body of the church. During restorations in 1950 medieval frescoes were revealed. The stained glass is contemporary.
Cartulary and archives
By the time of Conwoïon's death the abbey apparently already possessed an archive of several hundred documents. About 350 manuscripts from this period have been preserved, but it is certain that between 1773 and 1856 an unknown number of items were lost (Smith 2001, 373).
The extensive cartulary of Redon Abbey, containing copies of documents from the foundation up to the 12th century, survives, and has been published in two editions. It is a record of great importance for the history of Brittany.
Notes
- ^ Guincalon, Louhemel, Condeloc (later Saint Condeloc), Conhoiarn, Tethwiu, Riowen or Riwelen, Wentenwion, Artwolau, Cundeleus or Cunneus
- ^ The hill was also believed to be the abode of demons, who tormented the monks with visions and drove the local people, or so they claimed, to attack the monastery.
- ^ who at Vannes had previously made Conwoïon a deacon
- ^ Nomioe was buried here after his death on 7 March 851
- ^ "La France des abbayes romanes", in Notre Histoire, no 201, July 2002
- ^ present at the Council of Nîmes in 396
Related articles
Sources and external links
- Smith, Julia, 2001: The making of a ninth-century holy place, in: ISSN 1386-4165
- Aurélien de Courson, 1863: Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Redon en Bretagne. P., Imprimerie impériale (Collection de documents inédits sur l'Histoire de France; 1re série: Histoire politique); available online at Gallica (in French)
- Hubert Guillotel, André Chédeville et Bernard Tanguy, 1998: Cartulaire de l'abbaye Saint-Sauveur de Redon - tome I. Rennes, ed. Association des Amis des Archives historiques du diocèse de Rennes Dol et Saint-Malo
- Jean-Pierre Brunterc'h, Hubert Guillotel, Bernard Tanguy et al., 2004: Cartulaire de l'abbaye Saint-Sauveur de Redon - tome II. Rennes, ed. Association des Amis des Archives historiques du diocèse de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo (studies on the lost part of the cartulary, on the second cartulary, on the lettering and the inks, with a general index)
- Base Mérimée: Eglise Saint-Sauveur (ancienne basilique), Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- Base Mérimée: Abbaye de bénédictins Saint-Sauveur, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- Media related to Redon Abbey at Wikimedia Commons
References
- Gesta Sanctorum Rotonensium
- Brett, Vita Conuuionis
- Annales Rotonensis, c. 919