The Romanesque Priory of Our Lady of Villesalem

 

 Daughter-house of the Benedictine Abbey at Fontevrault, the Priory was built in the 12th century at Villesalem, on the outskirts of the village of Journet between Poitiers and Limoges, on land donated by Audebert de la Trémoille, the local lord.

 An order of Benedictine Sisters lived in a separate establishment from the monks who celebrated the daily Church offices and farmed the land.

 Over the centuries, the buildings suffered considerable damage, notably during the Hundred Years' War and the 16th century Wars of Religion ; the steeple and the vaulted roof of the nave fell down and the cloisters were destroyed. The nuns therefore were forced to leave.

 After the reform of the Benedictine rule by King Louis XIII in the 17th century, they returned to Villesalem. They screened off the first two spans of the nave to create living accommodation and added a building on the west façade where girls were educated.

 The religious life continued at Villesalem until the abolition of monastic orders in 1791. Sold as an agricultural building, various parts of the church fell into disrepair, its stones used for other purposes. In the 20th century, proposals for the ancient ruined building included selling it to America. Local people, alerted to the danger, set up an association, the Friends of Villesalem, which persuaded the State to buy the Priory in 1961. It had already been classified as a Historic Monument in 1914.

 A programme of restoration work was set in motion , highlighting the beauty of its architectural style and fine carvings, which make this one of the finest Romanesque buildings in the Poitou.

 During the summer season the Friends organise a programme of concerts which attract audiences from far and wide.