A heritage gem worth a book. In any case, this is what the Sarthe departmental council, owner of the Epau abbey, thinks. Built at the gates of Le Mans, the 13th century Cistercian abbeye century, founded by Queen Bérengère, has not yet finished revealing all its secrets despite a quantity of research.
Considering what we know about the building, what we don’t yet know and what we will probably never know, a collective of nine experts, from Le Mans and all over France, was formed to create a work dedicated to the Sarthois heritage jewel. A creation produced in collaboration with the departmental council via Sarthe Culture and supervised by Editions 303 based in Nantes. We wanted a reference work with expertise but which remained accessible, joyful and attractive
explains Véronique Rivron, vice-president of the departmental council in charge of heritage. And it is a success, according to her, both in form and in substance. When you read it, the page calls you to read the next one.
The conclusion of years of work
The 128-page work, sold in the abbey shop and on the Editions 303 website, is the conclusion of historical and archaeological research carried out for several years within the building. In six chapters, it offers an update of what we know about its history, from its creation to today. With recent excavations, we have been able to formulate hypotheses, in particular on the location of the cloister, destroyed during the Hundred Years’ War
explains Jean-Yves Langlois, archaeologist who worked extensively on the project. This abbey that we didn’t know well, it’s a bit like our second home
he concludes.
Practical
“The royal abbey of Épau – Eight centuries of history”, editions 303, on sale at the abbey shop and on the publishing house’s website. Price: €16.
