Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard
Title
Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard
Also Known As
Jart, Lieu Deu en Jart, Locus Dei in Gardio, Locus Dei in Gardo, Locus Dei in Jar, Locus Dei in Jardo, Nostre-Dame de Jart-en-Poitou
Dates
Founded 1180s; dissolved 1790s
Dedication
Mary
Affiliation
Circary
History
Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard was founded before 1190 by Richard Lionheart at a location at Venansault. In ca. 1196, it moved to a location in the forest of Jard. It was a prosperous house, but in the late 14th and 15th centuries suffered repeated attacks.
Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard became a commendatory abbey in 1484. It was badly damaged during the Wars of Religion. Communal life at the abbey came to an effective end in the early 18th century, although it was not formally suppressed until the Revolution. The site is now in private hands. In recent years it has been undergoing restoration works.
Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard became a commendatory abbey in 1484. It was badly damaged during the Wars of Religion. Communal life at the abbey came to an effective end in the early 18th century, although it was not formally suppressed until the Revolution. The site is now in private hands. In recent years it has been undergoing restoration works.
Heads of Community
Abbots
André, 1208-1217
Jean I, 1217-?
Guillaume, 1251-1261
Durand, fl. 1290
Denis, fl. 1364
Pierre, ca. 1409-1440s
Elias Tirant, ca. 1460-1484
Renauld de la Tremblaye, fl. 1484
Jean II de la Tremoille, fl. 1484
Claude de Bessey, 1541-1547
Jean III de Bessey, fl. 1553
André, 1208-1217
Jean I, 1217-?
Guillaume, 1251-1261
Durand, fl. 1290
Denis, fl. 1364
Pierre, ca. 1409-1440s
Elias Tirant, ca. 1460-1484
Renauld de la Tremblaye, fl. 1484
Jean II de la Tremoille, fl. 1484
Claude de Bessey, 1541-1547
Jean III de Bessey, fl. 1553
Status
Abbey
Archival Sources
La Roche-sur-Yon, Archives départementales de la Vendée
1 Num 20 8-95 (19th/20th c.; postcard)
1 Num 47 69-18 (1226)
1 Num 59 3/114-1 (19th/20th c.; postcard)
5 Fi 2 7 (20th c.)
6 Fi 384 (20th c.; postcard)
23 Fi 17 (1955; photograph)
79 Fi 36 (1955; photograph)
112 Fi 114-3 (2017; photograph)
176 J 107-2 (20th c.; post card)
BIB 5260 (1973; photograph)
H 67 (Finding Aid)
Paris, Archives nationales
L//336, n° 4 (1557)
X/2a/1, fol. 172r (1317)
1 Num 20 8-95 (19th/20th c.; postcard)
1 Num 47 69-18 (1226)
1 Num 59 3/114-1 (19th/20th c.; postcard)
5 Fi 2 7 (20th c.)
6 Fi 384 (20th c.; postcard)
23 Fi 17 (1955; photograph)
79 Fi 36 (1955; photograph)
112 Fi 114-3 (2017; photograph)
176 J 107-2 (20th c.; post card)
BIB 5260 (1973; photograph)
H 67 (Finding Aid)
Paris, Archives nationales
L//336, n° 4 (1557)
X/2a/1, fol. 172r (1317)
Reference
Bibliography
Delhommeau, Louis. Inventaire analytique des documents concernant l’abbaye royale de Notre-Dame de Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard de l’ordre de Prémontré au diocèse de Luçon (Vendée) vers 1180-1791. Paris, 1958.
Gilbert, Pierre. Abbaye Notre-Dame du Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard. Jard-sur-Mer: Patrimoine du pays jardais, 2013.
Jeanneau, Cédric. “Une abbaye prémontrée en Bas-Poitou: Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard.” In Un “scriptorium” et son époque. Les chanoines de Beauport et la société bretonne au Moyen Âge, edited by Cédric Jeanneau, 415–46. Brest: Centre de recherche bretonne et celtique, 2015.
Ollivier de Villeroi, J. P. “L’abbaye de Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard.” Bulletin de la Société Olona 34/35 (1965 1964): 11–12.
Image Credit
Abbey of Lieu-Dieu, 2013. Wikimedia.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Lieu-Dieu-en-Jard,” A Premonstratensian Atlas, accessed October 16, 2026, https://yvonneseale.org/atlas/items/show/410.
Geolocation
Item Relations
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