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A powerful abbey in one of the most beautiful villages of France
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Between Carcassonne and Narbonne, Lagrasse is set in the Orbieu valley, in the Corbieres massif. The Orbieu river separates the abbey, rising over the left bank, from the village which spreads along the right bank and is listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France.
The foundation charter of the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte Marie de l'Orbieu dates from the end of the 8th century, even if another building probably existed on the site before the Carolingian period. A 13th century manuscript, Philomena's legend, tells the story of the legendary foundation of this abbey.
The monastery rapidly became prosperous, its lands used to spread as far as Spain during the 9th and 10th centuries. The political power of the Abbey was essentially revealed during the Crusade against the Abligensians : Benoît d'Aligan, Abbot of Lagrasse from 1224 to 1230, was often a mediator between the occupying and the occupied forces. It was he who finally obtained Carcassonne's submission to the king of France (1226).
Of all the important abbots of Lagrasse, it is necessary to mention the reforming Abbot Auger de Gogenx, from 1279 to 1309, who carried out the construction of most of the medieval parts of the abbey.
After enduring the troubled times of the 14th century, the Abbey became an important artistic centre during the 15th century under the authority of Abbot Pierre d'Abzac de la Douze. The commendam of 1502 and then the arrival of a Saint-Maur congregation in 1662 also encouraged intellectual activity. During the 18th century, Abbot Armand Bazin de Bezons instigated a new building period with the construction of the abbey palace and the cloister. At the French Revolution, the Abbey was sold in 2 parts, a separation that still exists today.
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