Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire
Cloisters of the Abbey of Saint Hilaire. Photo © Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire.
Photo © Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire.
The Abbey of Saint-Hilaire is an ancient Benedictine abbey in the Aude department of France. The beautiful abbey and its church remain largely intact.
History
The origins of this fortified Benedictine abbey date back to the 6th and 7th centuries; the exact date is unknown.
Its first recorded mention is in 825, when the abbey is said to be the home of the tomb of Saint Hilaire, the first bishop of Carcassonne.
The Benedictine monastery benefited from numerous donations and was linked to the St. Michel de Cuxa abbey in the 10th century.
From the 13th century onwards, the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire was under the protection of the counts of Carcassonne, but during the Albigensian Crusade the monks are accused of heresy and lose their autonomy.
During the 14th century, papal documents record that the abbey of 29 monks is suffering financial difficulties; its population is accordingly reduced to 20. The abbey experienced further difficulties due to the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death.
At the Concordat of Bologne (1516), the king was granted the right to elect the abbot. He was invariably an aristocrat not living the monastic life nor at the abbey, which contributed to the abbey's decline.
In 1574, the abbey and the town were severely damaged by fire during the Wars of Religion. Further damage was done during the 18th-century French Revolution. Finally, in the 18 th century, the Bishop of Carcossonne closed the abbey.
What to See
The Romanesque church at Saint-Hilaire dates from the end of the 12th century, with an unfinished Gothic nave dating from the 13th century. It houses the white marble tomb of the martyr Saint Sernin, designed by the grand Master of Cabestany.
The Gothic cloister numbering 54 arcades was built in the 14th century, and is flanked by the Capitulary, with its magnificent 16th-century painted ceiling.
Quick Facts
| Address: | 11250 Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Hilaire, France |
| Department: | Aude |
| Phone: | 00 33 4 68 69 62 76 |
| E-mail: | abbayesainthilaire@wanadoo.fr |
| By car: | 15 minutes south of Carcassonne on D104 (see map) |
| Hours: | Jan-March and Nov-Dec: Daily 10-12, 2-5 Apr-June and Sept-Oct: Daily 10-12 and 2-6 July and August: Daily 10-7 |
| Cost: | 3.50 adults, 2 children |
More Information
- Sainte-Hilaire – Official Website (English and French)
- Abbaye Sainte-Hilaire - Aude Tourism
