Saint-Thierry Abbey, Saint-Thierry, France

Saint-Thierry Abbey was formerly a Benedictine abbey in the village of Saint-Thierry, Marne. It was closed in the 17th century and razed to the ground during the French Revolution. Since 1968 it has been a Benedictine nunnery in the Archdiocese of Reims.

The abbey was founded by Theodoric of Mont d'Hor around 500 and dedicated to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. This men's abbey became Benedictine around 974 and Adalbero of Reims had Thierry's relics transferred to the monastery. The cult of Thierry supplanted that of Bartholomew in the long term.

It became a monastery of the Congregation of Saint Maur from 1627/1628 until its suppression. It was abolished on 2 April 1695 by King Louis XIV. This was to compensate for the damage that the Church of Reims suffered during the creation of the Archdiocese of Cambrai. This extinction was ratified by a papal bull of Pope Innocent XII dated 13 September 1696, and it became the secondary residence of the archbishops of Reims. In 1777 the community was driven out and the abbey completely razed; the community being relocated for a time to Reims. Only the chapter house, dating from the 12th century, remained standing.

Bernard de Montfaucon made an inventory of the books of the abbey in his Bibliotheca bibliecarum manuscriptorum nova, Paris, 1739, and there are still nearly 150, mostly in the Municipal Library of Reims as well as a few copies in the Vatican Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France

After two centuries of interruption, monastic life resumed on the hill of Saint-Thierry when the Benedictines of the Vanves congregation arrived in 1968. The long tradition of prayer, hospitality and work began to be reborn.

References:

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User Reviews

Effata (2 years ago)
Very beautiful spiritual Benedictine place. The sisters are nice and so is the store. Thank you for the smile, the welcome, and the kindness of Sister Christelle present at the store

Claire Gabet (2 years ago)
During a revision stay, I was able to discover this beautiful monastery near Reims. The peaceful setting, the days punctuated by magnificent services, allow you to live in a little timeless interlude and recharge your batteries. I was touched by the soul of the place, conducive to meditation, and the hospitality of the sisters. Thank you for the peace of these few days, the joy of sharing meals with the community, and the celebration of August 15th of which I will keep excellent memories!

Frederic Demay (2 years ago)
Very nice place. I dropped someone and was very welcomed, offered a drink and biscuits with a complimentary tour of some part of the Monastery ? (message to Google moderator - what's wrong with this experience feedback - more non sense ?)

François RENAULT (3 years ago)
With a warm welcome and luminous spirituality, always with a smile on their face, the sisters offered us an extraordinary stay in a peaceful and calm setting. We lived services in comforting songs and prayers, thank you for this beautiful experience.

Justine Caballina (3 years ago)
What a pity that I could not (or knew?) find the kindness and the smile of the Sisters so often quoted in the many positive opinions, when I kindly made a request to magnify some shots of a married couple thanks to the magnificent vegetal setting of the Monastery ... Under the pretext that the Community has COVID (we were only planning to go outside), and under the pretext that only Married people from Saint-Thierry are accepted, I received a nonchalant telephone reception (following an unanswered email), after being hung up on me for the first time without being able to place the slightest word before that. Dear Sisters, what a pity for this Couple, who had also chosen the House of God to celebrate their union. I did not think that religion stopped at the borders of a Commune; I was still convinced that the monks welcomed their faithful with open arms, especially for a wedding. It is well noted for me. Very good continuation to the Community.

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