ew families arrived at the beginning of the XVII century. So, Mr PETRE, commoner, rose to the ranks of nobility in the King's service. He built the castle of Sougland after becoming Lord of Sougland, Magny and Reinette.
In 1660 soon after the signature of the Pyrenees peace treaty, the 41st abbot of Saint-Michel, CHARLES DE BOUZET DE ROQUEPINE, was granted by LOUIS XIV the right to organise fairs in Saint-Michel, four times a year.
n 1661, an arrangement was agreed to by the monks of Saint-Michel and the congregation of Saint-Vannes in Verdun. The monastery was henceforth to be managed by the Benedictine monks of Verdun. In 1663 the 43rd abbot was appointed. This was GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART, bishop of Arras, doctor at the Sorbonne, who was to remain at the head of the abbey till the age of 84 in 1724.
he region became peaceful again after the Nimègue treaty ending the war of Holland (1674-1679). Thanks to the prosperity of the times and to the financial help provided by GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART , repair work was progressing briskly under the supervision of CALONE DE BEAUPRE, architect from Bucilly. A new steeple was erected and individual cells for reading, sleeping and working soon replaced the abbey dormitory. With safer roads trade flourished, despite the burden of high taxes. The commerce of flax yarn from Flanders allowed the spinning of lace, linen, muslin, and cambric by the Saint-Michel womenfolk.
n 1714, for the sum of 3 800 F, JEAN BOIZARD delivered to the abbey an organ which was to be its jewel. A fire, started this time by negligence, devastated the abbey in 1715, but the organ was saved by a person named LEMBERT who died in the process.
In 1725 NICOLAS DE SAULX TAVANNES Cardinal bishop of Rouen, principle chaplain to the Queen, was appointed 44th abbot of Saint-Michel. With a profusion of the most beautiful marble, he built the high altar, the panelling and the paving stones of the choir. The side chapels also, were equipped with small altars made of marble. Stalls were bought from the neighbouring monastery, Val-Saint-Pierre.
Louis XIV King of France
TIENNE-EDOUARD COULBERT, priest from Toulon, doctor at the Sorbonne, most senior member and archdeacon of the Orléans church, vicar-general of the diocese, abbot of Saint-Menent and of Missy-lès-Orléans, succeeded GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART. The abbey was sheltered from shortage. The monks of the Saint-Vanne congregation reorganised and gave a new direction to the community. In 1749, reservoirs were built by the digging of a pond, and ornamental gardens were laid out. In 1755 a new farm building, which today houses the Museum of forestry and country life, was erected. From the reservoirs, canalisations of sandstone, oak or lead were constructed in order to distribute water throughout the monastery and to power the wheel which turned the millstones used to grind the grain of the farm.
But from 1780, the progressive loss of attraction for monastic life led to a sharp drop in numbers. The Benedictine following dropped 32% in France between 1766 and 1790. The powerful Saint-Vanne congregation suffered a decrease from 610 to 347 monks in 1790, before its break up, and Saint-Michel which could accommodate 15 to 16 monks, could only just attract 10 in 1768.
ocal industry, with its ironworks, was suffering. Numerous forges closed down sending their workers to look for work elsewhere. The year 1788 was a tragedy for agriculture: hail storms in the autumn, late frost in the spring, excessive heat and thunderstorms in the summer spoiled the already meagre grain harvests. Then the winter frost iced the rivers, preventing the millstones from grinding the small quantity of grain left, and destroying the seeds in the soil. And in the winter of 1789, epidemics due to malnutrition compounded the difficulties due to the cold. And looters appeared.
ew families arrived at the beginning of the XVII century. So, Mr PETRE, commoner, rose to the ranks of nobility in the King's service. He built the castle of Sougland after becoming Lord of Sougland, Magny and Reinette.
n 1661, an arrangement was agreed to by the monks of Saint-Michel and the congregation of Saint-Vannes in Verdun. The monastery was henceforth to be managed by the Benedictine monks of Verdun. In 1663 the 43rd abbot was appointed. This was GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART, bishop of Arras, doctor at the Sorbonne, who was to remain at the head of the abbey till the age of 84 in 1724. 
he region became peaceful again after the Nimègue treaty ending the war of Holland (1674-1679). Thanks to the prosperity of the times and to the financial help provided by GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART , repair work was progressing briskly under the supervision of CALONE DE BEAUPRE, architect from Bucilly. A new steeple was erected and individual cells for reading, sleeping and working soon replaced the abbey dormitory. With safer roads trade flourished, despite the burden of high taxes. The commerce of flax yarn from Flanders allowed the spinning of lace, linen, muslin, and cambric by the Saint-Michel womenfolk.
TIENNE-EDOUARD COULBERT, priest from Toulon, doctor at the Sorbonne, most senior member and archdeacon of the Orléans church, vicar-general of the diocese, abbot of Saint-Menent and of Missy-lès-Orléans, succeeded GUY SEVE DE ROCHECHOUART. The abbey was sheltered from shortage. The monks of the Saint-Vanne congregation reorganised and gave a new direction to the community. In 1749, reservoirs were built by the digging of a pond, and ornamental gardens were laid out. In 1755 a new farm building, which today houses the Museum of forestry and country life, was erected. From the reservoirs, canalisations of sandstone, oak or lead were constructed in order to distribute water throughout the monastery and to power the wheel which turned the millstones used to grind the grain of the farm.
ocal industry, with its ironworks, was suffering. Numerous forges closed down sending their workers to look for work elsewhere. The year 1788 was a tragedy for agriculture: hail storms in the autumn, late frost in the spring, excessive heat and thunderstorms in the summer spoiled the already meagre grain harvests. Then the winter frost iced the rivers, preventing the millstones from grinding the small quantity of grain left, and destroying the seeds in the soil. And in the winter of 1789, epidemics due to malnutrition compounded the difficulties due to the cold. And looters appeared.
