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Monastery / hospiceHérault

Ancienne abbaye d'Aniane, la maison de saint Benoît d'Aniane

Aniane

Dimensions
On the plain of the valley of the Hérault, on the way out of Aniane towards Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and the Pont du Diable, thirty kilometres west of Montpellier; the high walls of the former penitentiary close off the boulevard
Period
Monastery founded around 782 by Witiza, who became Benedict, son of the count of Maguelone; centre of the monastic reform of the empire at the councils of Aachen in 816–817; devastated in 1562; attached to the Maurists in 1633, who rebuilt it, including the church of Saint-Sauveur (1679–1714); sold at the Revolution, spinning mill from 1793 to 1843, central prison in 1845, colony for young offenders from 1885, supervised education establishment until its closure in 1998; bought back by the community of communes in 2010, CNRS excavations since 2011
What stands there
The abbey from which the Rule of Saint Benedict was imposed on the whole empire, which became a spinning mill and then a reformatory

Witiza, son of the Gothic count of Maguelone, brought up at the court of Pepin the Short and cupbearer to Queen Bertrada, became a monk at Saint-Seine, in Burgundy, after nearly drowning in Italy in 774; he took the name of Benedict. Back in his own country around 780, he founded around 782, on his lands, on the banks of the little river Aniane, a monastery that he placed under the protection of Charlemagne. Under his direction the abbey became the model of strict observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict; his friend William of Toulouse founded under his influence, in 804, the neighbouring abbey of Gellone. Having become the adviser of Louis the Pious, Benedict presided over the councils of Aachen of 816 and 817, which imposed the Benedictine Rule on all the monasteries of the empire, and died on 11 February 821 in the abbey of Inden, near Aachen. His life was written by his disciple Ardo. The Carolingian monastery has disappeared: devastated in 1562 during the wars of Religion, it was attached in 1633 to the congregation of Saint-Maur, whose Benedictines rebuilt it, with the church of Saint-Sauveur raised from 1679 to 1714, and the great classical buildings. Sold at the Revolution, the complex housed a cotton spinning mill from 1793 to 1843, then, in 1845, a central prison, transformed in 1885 into a colony for young offenders, and after 1945 into a supervised education establishment, closed in 1998. Bought back in 2010 by the community of communes, the site has been excavated since 2011 by the CNRS and is visited with a guide.

Wikipédia — Abbaye d'Aniane ↗

Further reading

Getting there : By the D 32 from Gignac or Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert; the site is at 50, boulevard Félix-Giraud, at the entrance to the town, with a car park nearby. The former abbey can be visited only on a guided tour, of about two hours: on Monday and Wednesday afternoons in July and August, on request the rest of the year, by booking with the Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert – Vallée de l'Hérault tourist office, which also sells tickets online; special visits during the Heritage Days. The church of Saint-Sauveur, now parochial, can be visited independently during opening hours. Allow half a day, combining it with Gellone, some ten kilometres away.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

See it on the map OpenStreetMap Directions

Ambient sound

Ancienne abbaye d'Aniane, la maison de saint Benoît d'Aniane
Vpe · domaine public · Wikimedia Commons

Nearby

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In the same department

All places — Hérault (19).