Bucilly

Title

Bucilly

Also Known As

Alodium de Buciliaco, Buccili, Bucciliacum, Buceili, Buceiliacum, Buceli, Bucellensis, Bucellensis ecclesia, Bucellies, Buchily, Bucili, Buciliacum, Buciliensis ecclesia, Bucillis-en-Thieraisse, Bucillis-l’Abbeye, Bucillis-l’Abbie, Bucilly-en-Thiérarche, Bucilly-la-Vile, Bucilly-la-Ville, Bucilly-le-Vieux, Bucélis, Bucélis-la-Vile, Busseily, Busselys, Bussilies, Bussillis, Bussily, Bussilys, Buyssyli, Couvent de Buchillis, ecclesia de Bucillis, ecclesia de Veteri Buciliaco, Saint-Pierre du Mont de Bucilly, Saint-Pierre-de-Bucillis-en-Thierasche, Église de Busillis

Dates

Founded ca. 950; Premonstratensian from 1148; dissolved 1790

Dedication

Paul, Peter

Affiliation

Prémontré

Medieval Diocese

Laon

Circary

Floreffe

History

Bucilly was founded in the mid-10th century by Eilbert and Gertrude (or Gerberge), count and countess of Vermandois, for a group of Benedictine nuns. It first became a priory of Cluniac monks, and then was transferred to the Premonstratensians ca. 1148. The abbey was damaged by warfare a number of times in the 17th century.

Bucilly joined the reform of the Antique Rigeur in 1651. Its church was reconstructed in the 1730s. The abbey community was dissolved at the Revolution, and the remaining structure is now in private hands.

Heads of Community

Abbots

Pierre?, fl. ca. 1145?
Persicus, fl. 1151
Philippe, 1153-1156
Jean, fl. 1155
Nelbertus, ?-1160
Jean II, 1160-1163
Guillaume, 1166-1167
Louis, 1171-1173
Guillaume II Hennepaix, fl. 1176
Godescalcus, fl. 1183
Pierre II, 1187-1192
Gautier, 1193-1195
Jean III, 1195-1196
Gui, 1200-1207
Wibert, ca. 1210-1220
Arnaud, 1220-1233
Pontius (or Ponsardus), 1233-1237
Bliard, 1240-1251
Reinier, 1266-1272
Gobert de Winy, 1273-1274
Mahius, fl. 1281
Jacques, 1286-1294
Adam de Wassigny, 1315-1327
Jean IV, ?-1336
Matthias, ?-1383
Jean V de Maubertfont, ?-1394
Pierre III de Rugigiaco, 1394-?
Jean VI le Penocer, ?-1450
Robert, 1450-1494
Gerard Ogier, 1494-1500
Jean VII le Prince, fl. 1502
Pierre IV, ?-1532
Jean VIII Vincent, 1532-?
Jean IX de Bayencourt, fl. 1542
Jacques II de Haptancourt, ?-1571

Status

Abbey

Archival Sources

Charleville-Mézières, Archives départementales des Ardennes

H 521 (17th c. cartulary)

Nancy, Bibliothèque Stanislas

MS 1751 (992, vol. 4), fols. 393r-423r
MS 1768 (995, vol. 1), fols. 77r-80r

Paris, Archives nationales de France

L//993, Dossier 2. (26 acts, 1205-1335)

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France

MS lat. 10121. (Late 13th c. Cartulary; ca. 1680 chronicle.)

Bibliography

Barthélemy, Édouard de. “Cartulaire de l’abbaye de Bucilly.” Annales de la Société historique et archéologique de Château-Thierry, 1881, 109–67. https://archive.org/details/annalesdelasoci1881soci/page/n135/mode/2up.
Desmasures, Alfred. Histoire du village de Bucilly et de son abbaye. Hirson: Impr. du “Nord de la Thiérache,” 1892. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k8532581.
Dufour, Annie. “Trois actes faux de l’abbaye de Bucilly attribués à Barthélemy de Joux, évêque de Laon.” ACTÉPI: Les actes épiscopaux français du Moyen Âge – édition multimodale et exploitation, 2021. https://actepi.hypotheses.org/284.
Oudin, Casimir, ed. Breve chronicon Abbatiae Bucliiensis: Chronique abrégée de l’abbaye de Bucilly rédigée. Laon: H. de Coquet et G. Stenger, 1870. https://books.google.com/books?id=QAM_AAAAIAAJ.
Piette, Amédée. Notice sur l’abbaye de Bucilly. Vervins: Papillon, 1850.

Image Credit

View of Bucilly Abbey, 2014. Wikimedia.

Last Updated

Oct. 2026.

Files

Collection

Floreffe

Citation

“Bucilly,” A Premonstratensian Atlas, accessed October 16, 2026, https://yvonneseale.org/atlas/items/show/137.

Geolocation

Item Relations

This Item DependentOn Item: Prémontré