Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Bèze

The Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Bèze was founded in 630 by Dux Amalgar and his wife Aquilina. They established the monastery on their own land near a spring revered by Celts. Their son Waldelenus became the first abbot and led the convent according to the Rule of Columbanus. As early as 655, Saint-Pierre established one of the first monastic schools in the Frankish Empire. In 658, the abbey acquired the property of the women's monastery of Saint-Martin in Brégille. After its destruction by Saracens in 731 and a period of decline, the monastery was rebuilt in 826 under Louis the Pious, and the Rule of Benedict was introduced. Following another destruction by the Hungarians in 937, a new construction and fortification took place in 990 under Abbot William of Volpiano. The abbey flourished in the High Middle Ages, counting 150 monks by the end of the 11th century, and was visited by Pope Paschal II in 1107. After a fire in 1198, it was rebuilt and the village of Bèze fortified. In the 14th century, the monastery suffered from the plague, and in the 15th century, Abbot Simon de Torcenay had the complex fortified with a moat, drawbridge, and double defensive wall. Wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, including the looting by Swiss mercenaries in 1513 and the devastation by imperial troops in 1636, led to economic decline. After a reconstruction starting in 1662 by monks from Saint-Maur, the renovation of the buildings proceeded slowly. In 1790, the abbey was secularized during the French Revolution, and the last monks left in 1791. Subsequently, it was used as a spinning mill, partially demolished, and its stones sold, before passing into the possession of the current owners in 1872.

The Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Bèze is located in the municipality of Bèze in the Côte-d’Or department in the Bourgogne (Burgundy) region of France. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 214 meters above sea level.

The former monastery can be visited today, offering visitors insights into its historical architecture and long history.

• Château d'Arcelot (castle), approx. 12.5 km away
• Château la Motte (castle), approx. 21.2 km away
• Château de Rouvres (castle), approx. 26.7 km away
• Château de Moissey (castle), approx. 35.7 km away