The Notre-Dame de Faremoutiers abbey is located in the eponymous town, in the department of Seine-et-Marne, 8 km west of Coulommiers.
It was founded in the 7th century by the daughter (the future Sainte-Fare) of an aristocrat of the time, Agnéric. He had initially opposed his daughter's vocation before giving her land where she could establish the monastery. The village that developed around took the same name of Faremoutiers…
The abbey was destroyed by fire in 1140 but thanks to King Louis VII, the conventual buildings and the church were rebuilt in 1145.
Royal abbey Having for a time the specificity of welcoming nuns and monks, then coming under the order of the Benedictines, the abbey was again very affected during the Hundred Years War. It was not until the end of the 15th century that it regained its prosperity.
In the 17th century, the famous Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, regularly came to visit the site. At the same time, the monastery welcomed Anne de Gonzague de Clèves as a pupil (the abbey being renowned for its educational establishment). After a turbulent life which will be transcribed in the book "La Princesse de Clèves", written by Madame de La Fayette, Anne de Gonzague de Clèves returned to live at the abbey from 1671 to her death in 1684. Bossuet pronounced his funeral oration there..
During the Revolution, the nuns were driven out and the abbey dismantled. Only the ruins of the majestic 18th century abbey church and a Merovingian crypt remain today. However, modern buildings were rebuilt because in 1923 a new community was resettled. Nowadays, the abbey, which retains its reputation as a "contemplative" place conducive to appeasement, includes an EHPAD welcoming elderly nuns.
The site, surrounded by a landscaped park, is open to the public during Heritage Days, on the occasion of certain services or for one-off events. A shop (bookstore, grocery store and monastic crafts) is also open to visitors.
Information on +33 1 64 04 20 37.
