Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade
AbbeyHidden Treasure
Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade, located in Chancelade (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Abbey
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Chancelade, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.2072, 0.6671
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082470
Nestling in the Beauronne valley, Chancelade Abbey boasts eight centuries of monastic architecture: authentic Romanesque, a cupola on pendentives and a fortified medieval mill still powered by its living waters.
History
A few kilometres north-west of Périgueux, Chancelade Abbey is hidden away in a lush green valley watered by the Beauronne river, as if time had chosen to spare it. It is not a single monument, but a veritable monastic village, a coherent group of buildings spanning several centuries that respond to and complement each other with astonishing harmony. The Romanesque church at the heart of the complex, flanked by a chapel consecrated in 1147, stands side by side with 15th to 18th century dwellings, medieval outbuildings, terraces and gardens leading down to the river. Visitors will not discover an isolated building, but a living institution frozen in its complexity. The visitor experience oscillates between contemplation and architectural wonder. Inside the church, the visitor's gaze wanders between the 17th-century rib vaults and the cupola on pendentives that crowns the transept crossing - a very Périgord feature, inherited from the region's Romanesque tradition. The wooden choir stalls carved in the first half of the 17th century add a note of dark, golden warmth to the nave. Outside the church, the fortified mill is one of the most unusual sights in the area. Straddling the entire diversion of the Beauronne, this defensive and utilitarian building bears witness to the economic self-sufficiency that canonic communities sought to achieve in the Middle Ages. The 15th-century vat house, with its low barrel vault from the following century, and the 14th-century cellar complete the picture of a fully functional abbey-farm. The natural setting adds to the enchantment. The terraces and tiered gardens, bordered by the rushing waters of the Beauronne, create an atmosphere of peaceful retreat that no doubt explains the initial choice of the site by the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. Chancelade is one of those rare places where architecture and landscape form an inseparable whole.
Architecture
Chancelade Abbey is an eloquent example of Perigord Romanesque architecture at its most progressive. The church is cruciform in plan, with a dome on pendentives covering the transept crossing - a characteristic feature of the Périgord Romanesque school, which can also be found in Périgueux and Souillac. The five-bay nave, rib-vaulted in 1630 during a major restoration campaign, bears witness to the adaptation of late Gothic vocabulary to an original Romanesque structure, a stylistic mix common in the Reformed abbeys of the 17th century. A square bell tower crowns the transept, a sober, powerful structure rooted in the Périgord building tradition. The Saint-Jean chapel, which predates the complex, retains its Romanesque purity with its pointed barrel vault and semi-circular cul-de-four apse. The monastic outbuildings are a fascinating catalogue of medieval and modern construction techniques. The fortified mill, rectangular in plan, straddles the entire diversion of the Beauronne: its blocked Romanesque openings reveal its age, while its defensive features reflect the successive alterations carried out in the 15th and 16th centuries. The vat room has an imposing 16th-century low barrel vault, and the 14th-century cellar was covered with groined vaults in the 17th century. The so-called Bourdeilles dwelling, which stands at the north-west corner of the church, is a mixture of 15th-century masonry and 15th-century additions, forming an irregular but picturesque silhouette. The whole building is made of local ochre and gold limestone, typical of Périgord architecture.
Related Figures
Alain de Solminihac — abbé réformateur au début du 17e siècle, figure majeure de la réforme catholique en Périgord, futur évêque de Cahors (1636), béatifié en 1981Les chanoines réguliers de Saint-Augustin — communauté fondatrice du 12e siècle, organisatrice de la vie spirituelle et économique de l'abbayeMonseigneur de Bourdeilles — prélat périgourdin dont le nom est attaché au logis occidental de l'abbaye, témoignant des liens entre l'abbaye et les grandes familles nobles du PérigordLes abbés commendataires des 16e-17e siècles — responsables du déclin puis de la restauration partielle de l'abbaye après les guerres de Religion
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade located?
Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade is located in Chancelade, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade built?
Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade open to visitors?
Ancienne abbaye de Chancelade is currently closed to visitors.
