Abbey of La Clarté-Dieu

The Abbey of La Clarté-Dieu was a Cistercian monastery located in Saint-Paterne-Racan, France.

The bishop had conceived the idea of founding a pair of monasteries some years before and had begun collecting the necessary endowments for them, but his death in 1238 prevented him from completing the project.

The abbey was severely damaged in the course of the Hundred Years War and the cost of rebuilding proved a heavy burden on the finances of the community.

Nevertheless, La Clarté-Dieu managed to survive until the French Revolution when it was closed and sold off along with all the other monasteries of France.

Following the revolution the abbey was for a long time used as a farm and some of the buildings were allowed to fall into ruin.