ROYAUMONT

to visit an important moment

of our history.

In the summer of 2008, a beautiful exposition of the different changes that took place in the Abbey of Royaumont during the X1X century was presented.    Part of this exposition was devoted to the Holy Family Sisters who occupied this prestigious abbey from 1869 to 1903. 

A few months before the exposition, we had the pleasure of receiving the archivist of Royaumont, Nathalie Le Gonidec, in our house in Rome.  She came to do some research in our archives and she received invaluable help from our archivist at the General house, Sister Maria Carmen Fernandez Shaw.  The entire community in the General House benefited very much from Nathalie’s discoveries, which she shared with us with great simplicity and enthusiasm

Our French sisters came to the exposition at Royaumont and were very impressed by the presentation. In November 2009, the Council of the Network of Belgium-France-Italy, together with sisters from the Saint Mandé community, visited the Royaumont Abbey with Nathalie Le Gonidec.  Nathalie was a competent guide and with her help, the visit gave us the opportunity to revisit an important moment of our history.

A Royal Abbey

It was King Louis V111, who in 1226 asked for an abbey to be founded at Royaumont.  Scarcely two years later, Louis 1X, the future Saint Louis, helped by his mother Blanche de Castille, took the decision to found a Cistercian Abbey at Royaumont.  
The story is told that Saint Louis took an active role in the building of the abbey, which only took seven years to complete.  The abbey Church was consecrated in 1235.  This was a time of great prosperity with more than 140 monks in the abbey.  Louis 1X was always very attached to his abbey, and he was buried there with his three children and one of his brothers.  In fact the abbey became a family burial place. 

Later, monastic life went into decline since the kings who came after Saint Louis did not attach the same importance to the abbey as he did.  At the beginning of the XV century the abbey was mentioned in several General Chapter documents of the Cistercian order; the monks remained there up to the French revolution.  The last monks were expelled in 1790 and after the revolution, the monks did not return to Royaumont.  .

A spinning mill

In October of the same year, the National Assembly suppressed all religious orders and the buildings were sold as patrimony of the state in 1791.  The marquis of Travanet bought the abbey and converted it into a spinning mill.  Apart from just one pillar, the Church was destroyed and the stones of the Church were used to build cottages for the mill workers who numbered about 300.   

At a later date the mill closed and gave way to another factory that produced shawls.  This business also collapsed and its doors were finally closed in 1860. 

The return of the religious

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate bought the property in 1864 and established their seminary there.  However, because of financial constraints, they were unable to keep the property.  They sold it to the Sisters of The Holy Family of Bordeaux who set up their novitiate in the abbey.  This was in 1869. 

Our affiliation with the Oblates took place in 1857-1858.  The death of both Founders in 1861 obliged the next generation of superiors (Father Fabre 1861-1892 in the case of the Oblates, and Mother Hardy- Moisan, in the case of the Holy Family) to look at new needs in a political climate that had become unfavourable to both congregations. 

Presence of the Holy Family at Royaumont

The idea was that Royaumont would be used to meet a number of needs of the Sisters of the Holy Family: in the Paris region it would be used for General Chapters, sisters’ annual retreats and superiors’ meetings.  It could accommodate a novitiate that would be more accessible to the sisters from the North of Europe, especially England and Germany.  It was also envisaged that it could be used for retired sisters from the North of France.  Novices from the different branches would grow in their sense of belonging and the fact of having their formation together in the same place could form them more effectively in our common spirit. 

And so the congregation began major works.  However these had to be stopped in 1878 and the idea of gathering together the elderly sisters at Royaumont was abandoned. 
So, for the next 35 years, Royaumont became the novitiate for sisters from France, Italy and Northern Europe.  .
The buildings that had been ruined during the time of the cotton mill were gradually restored with the help of an excellent architect called Charles Vernier.  The works that took place between 1869 and 1878 coincided with a powerful rise in the numbers of novices, from 55 in the years 1869 - 1878 to 130 in the years 1874 - 1876.  The congregation, anticipating a flourishing future, built lecture rooms and dormitories that would accommodate up to 200 novices. But because of the shift in the political situation, recruitment fell to 80 novices a year and so an expensive refurbishment project had to be halted. 

In 1875 there were 136 novices – a very good year as was also 1889.    There were 30 to 40 sisters residing permanently in the community.  Some sisters supervised the building works, others were engaged in teaching or nursing in the villages around Royaumont and they would return to the community in the evening.  There were also Oblate chaplains residing in the house.  
Although the aim of the house was the setting up of a joint novitiate so that the different branches could have a common spiritual formation, nevertheless the Council, in 1874 reminded all, that coming together was not the same as fusion and set down precise rules for living together.

Each branch would have its own life, its own novice mistress, its own particular exercises.  There were to be separate tables in the dining room and the novices would have their own recreation times.   However they would meet together for certain common exercises in the novitiate lecture room and they would have recreation together on Thursdays and Sundays to promote union of minds and hearts.  However these common recreations would be regarded as exceptional and would be used to mark festive occasions

Holy Family crest

Sisters of Saint Joseph crest

Sisters of Loreto crest

Each branch used the building according to its needs and each branch had its symbols, its statues, pictures and  a stained glass window with the specific emblem of each branch.  A life size portrait of the Founder was placed in the main hall.  At the entrance to the enclosure, from 1873, there was a huge bronze statue of Christ, which had been given to the Hope Sisters by the Minister of Commerce and Fine Arts to thank them for the help they gave to the dying and wounded during the siege of 1870.

  Work was undertaken to improve conditions in the abbey: the installation of heating and electricity, hot and cold water and hot showers.  Rooms were separated which led to improved communication, a better use of space and preservation of heat.  
Important meetings such as general councils, retreats, superiors’ meetings from the different branches, celebrations of the congregation all took place here, legitimising the refurbishments that had been carried out.

But the Holy Family did not turn in on itself or concentrate solely on the architectural treasure that was Royaumont.  The sisters were a source of light and life for the surrounding villages.  The inhabitants of the region, even though they were not overly religious were very anxious that the sisters should stay and were very opposed to their departure.  

The increasing internationality of the congregation led to the opening of novitiates in different countries (Spain, Quebec, Natal, Ceylon).  Their foundresses were inspired by the formation given at Royaumont, as many superiors had spent short or longer periods of time in formation at Royaumont.  The abbey was now limited to novices from France and Northern Europe.  There was a marked reduction of vocations in France following the laws against religious congregations (1901-1904).

Times changed and the sisters were not able to realise their dream of rebuilding the Church.  In a context where there was increasing anticlericalism, they were obliged to leave Royaumont in 1904, a year before the law on the separation of the Church and State.

 

Women who left their mark on history

It is interesting to read again this page of history, which evokes the enterprising spirit of the sisters at the end of the X1X century.  Their feminine presence contributed to preserving this wonderful place; the sisters showed discernment and great taste in giving back to the abbey its religious character while adapting it to the needs of the time. It is also interesting to know that in 1914, the abbey was placed at the disposal of Scottish nurses who cared for 3000 wounded people during the war.  So other women were able to make their contribution to this history

Later Henry and Isabel Gouin bought the abbey and in 1964 they created the Royaumont Foundation, which supports artists worldwide.  It has become a cultural and artistic centre and is dedicated to vocal music and contemporary poetry. 

 

* Source: Royaumont les Métamorphoses d'une abbaye au XIXème siècle. Le retour des religieux et des religieuses dans la seconde moitié du XIXème siècle de Claude Langlois