Abbaye Notre-Dame des Fontenelles

The monastery was founded in 1210 by Guillaume de Mauléon, Seigneur of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, and his wife Béatrice de Machecoul, Lady of La Roche-sur-Yon. Originally conceived as a Benedictine monastery, it was converted into an Augustinian collegiate church around 1224 after a legal dispute and affiliated with the nearby Chancelade Abbey. The consecration of the monastery church took place in 1248 by Bishop Jean de Melun. The complex, built of granite in the Angevin Gothic style, suffered repeated severe destruction. It was damaged during the Hundred Years' War, and in 1562, during the Wars of Religion, it was heavily attacked by Protestants. Monks were killed, the buildings set on fire, and part of the nave collapsed, permanently shortening the church to a Greek cross plan. Further attacks followed in the 1620s. From 1669, restoration began by the reformed Congrégation de France, but by the end of the 17th century, only three monks lived there. In the course of the French Revolution, the abbey was dissolved in 1791 and finally abandoned in 1794 after the passage of the “Colonnes Infernales”. The church later served as a barn, and the grounds for agricultural purposes. Neglect led to further collapses, including the south transept in 1935.

Today, the main surviving parts of the Abbaye Notre-Dame des Fontenelles are the shortened church and sections of the chapter house. Within the church, in an arched niche tomb, there is a recumbent effigy, possibly depicting the foundress Béatrice de Machecoul or her daughter. The remains of the monastery can be visited; the complex remains private property.