Abbey of Notre-Dame de Barbery, Normandy

The 13th April 2026 is the 850th anniversary of the founding of an abbey by an owner of Middleton. On 13th April 1176, Robert III de Marmion, 2nd Baron Marmion of Tamworth, officially founded the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Barbery, which was located in the communes of Barbery and Bretteville-sur-Laize in Calvados, Normandy, about 20km south of Caen.

On 14th November 1140, Robert III’s father, Robert II de Marmion, 1st Baron Marmion of Tamworth and Lord of Fontenay-le-Marmion in Normandy, stated in a charter that he gave everything he owned to Savigny Abbey in Normandy in order for a Cistercian abbey to be constructed as the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Barbery. Barbery is located about 11km south of Fontenay-le-Marmion.

The construction did begin in 1140 but was not completed until 1176. Thus, because Robert II had died in 1143, it was left to his son to finish, bestow the gifts and found it. Robert II was partly buried in the orchard of Polesworth Abbey, Warwickshire, and the rest of his remains were subsequently buried in the Chapter House of his Abbey of Notre-Dame de Barbery.

The first abbey at Barbery was constructed around the old grange of Savigny Abbey, but the main part of the Abbey was, after 1181, relocated a little further north. In was not until 1247 that the Abbey church was first dedicated. The Abbey is reported to have thrived in the 13th century as a spiritual and scholarly centre. In that century, one of the monks of the Abbey, Gervais de Barbery, wrote a rhyming bestiary of 1,280 verses that provided descriptions of 29 different animals.

In 1563, during the Wars of Religion, the Abbey was pillaged by Calvinists. It was then placed under the commendam system. This transferred control of the monastic income to laypeople, but under the system the Abbey was left to decay.

In 1639, the Abbey regained some of its lost prosperity and spiritual vigour when monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists, gained possession. This austere order, which was founded in 1098, emphasised a strict and rigorous interpretation of the Rule of Saint Benedict with a particular focus on silence, prayer and manual labour. The Order separated from the main Cistercian Order in the 17th century. On 30th December 1776, an earthquake, which had its epicentre at Caen, caused significant damage to the Abbey. In particular, the Abbey towers are reported to have collapsed. Reconstruction began, but due to the small number of monks housed there and the lack of funds, it was not completed before the French Revolution occurred. As a result of the Revolution, the Abbey was dissolved and dismantled in 1791.

Today, only scattered ruins remain but they are listed as an historical monument. The remains include: a 13th century Abbey guest building; an 18th century gatehouse; and parts of the old Abbey church wall and gallery cloister. Archives of the Abbey have survived and these are kept in the Calvados Archives in Caen. These archival documents are described as important and old, and include the foundation deeds by the de Marmions from the 12th century.

Remains of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Barbery, 2012, by Giogo, CC-BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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