Sablonceaux Abbey

[1] Construction began before 1160, and the abbey was already powerful by the late 12th century, strengthened by the constant support of the archbishop of Bordeaux.

From this time onwards the moral standards of the community began to decline, and the behaviour of the monks eventually became scandalous.

Commendatory abbots took over at this time, the first of whom, Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis, archbishop of Bordeaux, went to great lengths to reverse the moral and spiritual decline of the community.

In the 19th century, the abbey again became a place of prayer, but the bishop of La Rochelle closed it down because of the dangerous state of the buildings.

In 1962 André Malraux, Minister of Culture, ordered the restoration of the sanctuary, which took twenty years.