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The priory
From the Viscounts of Mantes to Benedictine monks

 

 

A vast estate...

In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the lands of Saint-Martin-la-Garenne were the fiefdom of the Viscounts of Mantes. In 1081 and 1083, two charters ratified the donation of their property to the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin in Normandy. These donations were part of the move toward moral progress that marked the reign of William the Conqueror, at that time Duke of Normandy.

The church of Saint-Martin-la-Garenne and the land pertaining to it (vineyards, crops, woods...) were transferred to the abbey, which founded the priory in the eleventh century. Benedictine monks settled here until the sixteenth century. At that time the priory had vast tracts of land, a monastery (which was actually a fairly modest dwelling without a cloister), a tithe barn, farm buildings, a wine press and a dovecote. The priory changed little from its foundation until the French Revolution when it was sold as national property and converted into housing.

 

 

...led by a strict rule

Life in the priory was organized under the rule of Saint Benedict, defining not only the various offices and tasks but also the meals, clothing, hospitality, choice of officials and travel outside the priory. The Prior’s role was to work out the details according to the community and the constraints of place and time. Monastic life was organized around three main activities: common prayer and services, reading and scripture study, and manual labor. The hierarchical superiors of the Prior of Saint-Martin-la-Garenne were the archbishops of Rouen.