Hersende of Champagné (1060 – 1 December 1114) was the founder and first Abbess of Fontevraud Abbey.
Hersende was born in Anjou to a noble French family in or after 1060.
Hersende persuaded her step-son, Gautier of Montsoreau, to provide her with the land to found the abbey.
Robert was a believer in double monasteries, which considered of separate quarters of men and women under the management of the Abbess.
[1][2]>[3][4][5] It has been postulated that Hersande may be the mother of Héloïse, wife and lover of Abelard.