History of saint Michel Abbey in northern France

GOTHIC
ABBEY


ogether with the great figures of the western world, JACQUES D'AVESNES left for the third crusade, and never came back. He died as a hero in 1191. His widow AMELINE DE GUISE made a generous grant to the Abbey of Saint-Michel for the peace of his soul and the rehabilitation of his memory. So began, at the end of the XII century, a great era of reconstruction for the abbey, which in 1172 had been subjected to its second devastating fire. Rebuilt under the reign of PHILIPPE-AUGUSTE, the abbey remained almost intact till the reign of FRANCOIS I, that is for about three and a half centuries.		he XIII century was a good period for abbeys. Saint-Michel was no exception to that rule and achieved its peak in 1285 under GUILLAUME, its 25th regular abbot. But there was so much work that the monks could not handle it alone. The number of lay-brothers increased by taking on illiterate peasants who took the vows while being dispensed with closure services and chapter meetings. They were only subject to religious ceremonies on Sundays and holidays. Others were given leases for farming the land
he Abbey, in this way, spread its methods of farming and wheat, oil and beer were exported... Villages ended up by being built. Town Charters were granted, which freed the townspeople from the local lord or church. Hirson in 1156, Saint-Michel and Rochefort in 1185. Then, the Abbey started to decline under PHILIPPE IV "The Fair", grandson of SAINT LOUIS. In order to reinforce his royal authority and raise money, he levied excessive taxes on all purchases of property by religious institutions.			n 1297, trouble erupted in Flanders with armed bands appearing in the Thiérache, the Vermandois and the Laon region. With what result ? The Saint-Michel abbey watched powerlessly the destruction of its properties and the burning of its farms.

	François 1^er King of France
		EAN QUARRIN, monk of Saint Denis became, in 1471, the last regular abbot of Saint-Michel. In effect the Concordat of Bologne, in 1516, abolished the right of the clergy to appoint abbots and bishops. The royalty was to impose upon the monks, a commandatory abbot, a secular clergyman who had temporal rights. He received part of the revenues generated by the abbey, a portion which could amount to 2/3, while only having to ensure the upkeep of the buildings. A new blow was dealt to the Saint-Michel abbey. To the detriment of the monks, those lords who lived at the Court were far from being good and loyal managers. It meant impoverishment for the abbeys which were often forced to part with a large proportion of their properties. Facing an unbearable predicament, the monks decided to leave the abbey in 1536.
n 1337 the Flanders revolt generated the 100 years war, which started out of simple estate problems. King EDWARD III of England, who laid claim to the French kingdom, was backing the rebellion in the Flanders. He had as allies the emperor LOUIS of Bavaria, the Duke of Brabant, the Count of Namur and his own brother-in-law, Count GUILLAUME of Hainaut. Right from the start the devastating battles, which ended with the French defeat, raged throughout the Thiérache province. Looting, fires and reprisals went on in Guise, Chimay, Saint-Michel and Aubenton sending the region into even more misery.
n 1542, the abbey and the township of Saint-Michel were again burned down and ransacked by the troups of CHARLES QUINT waging war against FRANCOIS I : It was the third great fire. The church was left without a roof and the deserted buildings were in danger of collapsing.