Saint-Lucien Abbey was located at Beauvais, in the Oise.
It was founded in 580 by the bishop of the city who wanted to perpetuate the memory of the saint who had evangelized the city.
Under the order of the Benedictines, it very quickly became a popular and very popular place of pilgrimage, the tomb of Saint Lucian being located under the high altar of the abbey church.
Although enjoying a certain reputation and real prosperity, the abbey experienced many vicissitudes: it was devastated twice during the Norman invasions and if in 1109, a new abbey was built in stone, place and place of the old one partly built in wood, it was very affected again during the Hundred Years War.
This does not prevent the abbey from developing and founding priories which depend on the monastery.
The adoption of the system of commendation, which entrusted the management of the abbeys to non-religious people who were above all concerned with its financial returns, did not make things any easier… At the beginning of the 17th century, once so powerful, the abbey only counted 16 monks.
During the Revolution, the site was dismantled and then partly destroyed. Later, a factory will be established on the former right of way of the monastery, and in the 20th century, HLM housing is built.
However, the old entrance door to the abbey and parts of the perimeter wall still exist today. In addition, elements of the furniture were transferred to the cathedral of the city: this is the case of the preaching pulpit in sculpted oak from the 17th century, one of the panels of which represents Saint Lucian. His relics, on the other hand, were destroyed during the Revolution. A recumbent statue from the abbey has been moved to Nogent-sur-Oise and stalls from the old abbey can be seen in the Cluny museum in Paris.
The site of the old abbey and its rare vestiges can mark out a walk in the city… Information on +33 3 44 15 30 30.
