L'Épau Abbey 2.47

L'Épau Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey founded by the English queen Berengaria of Navarre in 1229. It is located on the outskirts of the city of Le Mans, on the left bank of the Huisne, adjoining the town of Yvré-l'Évêque. The abbey was suppressed in the French Revolution. The surviving buildings came close to destruction on several occasions, but their preservation was finally assured in 1958 by the General Council of the Sarthe department.HistoryOriginsPerseigne Abbey, built within the confines of Norman Maine by the powerful William III of Bellême, can be considered the oldest Cistercian abbey in Maine. It was built in 1145, and is today situated in the commune of Neufchâtel-en-Saosnois. All that remains of it today is a section of wall. During the second millennium, Le Mans saw the construction of several abbeys. Religious faith was booming in the town: The renowned La Couture abbey was built, as were the Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul and Saint-Vincent abbeys. Mostly, the abbeys were built in privileged areas in the heart of the forest. In 1199, the English queen Berengaria of Navarre was beside herself with grief. Her husband, Richard the Lionheart, had succumbed to his wounds in a crossbow battle at Châlus in Haute-Vienne. The Queen was removed from power in Maine but settled among the Plantagenet dynasty in 1204. She became a dowager. In addition, she began to spend all of her time at the Palace of the Count of Maine. Legend has it that the Queen found asylum, but not happiness, in the town. Certain local government figures, in cohorts with her mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, or brother-in-law, John Lackland, constantly waged battle with the Queen, trying to steal the land granted to her by the French king Philip Augustus. Only after 26 years in exile did the Queen, aged 59, decide to found an abbey.