The Beaumont souvenir

For the first time in Europe all the rooms of an abbey were the subject of systematic excavation for the entire time span of its activity: from 1002 to 1790. The archaeologist Philippe Blanchard describes the discovery in a press release from theInsti­tut national de recherches archéologiques préventives.
Given the exceptional nature of the pro­cast, the team of archaeologists decided to dig more possible environments to be able to reconstruct the complete history of the abbey and its inhabitants: a group of Benedictine nuns. Three construction phases have been identified. The first church could be a small chapel mentioned in historical sources, but for now it is not possible to give a precise dating. Around the 11th-12th century a larger church was built. large with the cloister and the chapter house. Finally, in the 12th-13th century. an ambulatory was added to the church. This plan remained unchanged until 1790, when during the French Revolution the nuns were expelled and the abbey sacked.

The research was also able to establish that Beaumont Abbey enjoyed a certain prestige. Sources say that between 1732 and 1772 Madame de Bour­bon-Condé, niece of Louis XIV, was abbess. About her Her nomination is about her; an indication of the fact that the abbey was very important, the only female one in the Tours region. At that time, around 60 nuns plus several nuns could be accommodated inside. the lay service staff, for a total of around 100 people. 890 burials were also found, some very rich, others more poor. A curiosity: in the cloister there is a large quantity was found of medals. One of these bears the inscription «Roma, Giubileo, 1625». It is probably a souvenir, a memory kept by someone who had participated in the event, a little as we do today when we go on a pilgrimage to some famous sanctuary.


Agnese Picco
NP April 2024