South side of the abbey, the church and the monks' cells seen from Le Bec.
Bec Abbey (French: Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec) in Le Bec Hellouin,[1] Normandy, France, is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure département, in a valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Le Havre.
First foundation[]
The abbey was founded in 1039 by Herluin,[2] a Norman knight who in about 1031 left the court of Gilbert, Count of Brionne, to devote himself to a life of religion: the commune of Le Bec Hellouin preserves his name.[3]
With the arrival of Lanfranc of Pavia, Bec became a focus of 11th century intellectual life. Lanfranc, who was already famous for his lectures at Avranches, came to teach as prior and master of the monastic school, but left in 1062, to become abbot of St. Stephen's Abbey, Caen, and later Archbishop of Canterbury. He was followed as abbot by Anselm, also later an Archbishop of Canterbury, as was the fifth abbot, Theobald of Bec. Many distinguished ecclesiastics, probably including the future Pope Alexander II and Saint Ivo of Chartres, were educated in the school at Bec.
The life of the founder (Vita Herluini) was written by Abbot Gilbert Crispin. Archbishop Lanfranc also wrote a Chronicon Beccense of the life of Herluin, and of the first four abbots, which was published at Paris in 1648.
The followers of William the Conqueror supported the abbey, enriching it with extensive properties in England. Bec also owned and managed St Neots Priory as well as a number of other British foundations, including Goldcliff Priory in Monmouthshire founded in 1113 by Robert de Chandos. The village of Tooting Bec, now a London suburb, is so named because the abbey owned the land.
Bec Abbey was damaged during the Wars of Religion and left a ruin in the French Revolution but the 15th century Tour Saint-Nicolas ("St, Nicholas's Tower") from the medieval monastery is still standing.[1]
Second foundation[]
In 1948 the site was re-settled as the Abbaye de Notre-Dame du Bec by Olivetan monks led by Dom Grammont, who effected some restorations. The abbey is known for its links with Anglicanism and has been visited by successive archbishops of Canterbury. The abbey library contains the John Graham Bishop deposit of 5,000 works concerning Anglicanism.
See also[]
Notes[]
External links[]
- (French) Abbaye de Notre-Dame du Bec: official website
- (French) Le Bec Hellouin: official website
- (English) gite site with details and photos
ast:Abadía de Bec eo:Abatejo Bec gl:Abadía de Bec