History
of The Abbey
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The
Abbey is located in the quaint town of Pontlevoy,
at the ancient heart of France’s lovely
Loire Valley. A small village situated minutes
away from some of France’s most celebrated
scenery, wineries, and châteaux, Pontlevoy
is also located within easy reach of the cities
of Tours and Blois. The town’s neighboring
village Montrichard, is served by a fast train
that connects with the French bullet train (TGV),
making a trip to Paris a matter of only 90 minutes'
duration. |
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According
to legend, The Abbey was founded in 1034 A.D.
by a crusader, Gueldin de Chaumont, fulfilling
his promise to the heavens at what had seemed
the moment of his death. The Abbey gained
an international stature as a Benedictine
refuge over the course of the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries.
Prosperous
times led Pontlevoy's monks to plan and begin
construction of a full cathedral. However, a
long epoch of instability and warfare began
that would ultimately burn the noble edifice
and destroy what had become one of central France's
greatest ecclesiastical libraries. |
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Sixteenth-century
leadership under Cardinal Richelieu and others
reoriented the educational mission of The Abbey,
as it became one of France's several royal military
academies. This shift in mission spurred the
erection of the campus' great central building,
which has stood since the 1600s as a dominating
structure of more than 90,000 square feet. Used
over the last four centuries as a school for
veterans, affluent educators, and others, The
Abbey was stewarded through most of its history
by the families de Vibraye and de Sigala. The
twentieth century was a time of prosperity for
Pontlevoy. On the eve of the twenty-first century,
The Abbey was acquired by a private owner, and
historical renovations have since given new
life to The Abbey of Pontlevoy as an international
"school of thought." |
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