Jumièges Abbey

About this place

Jumièges Abbey, formally the Abbey of St Peter at Jumièges, was a Benedictine monastery. Its ruins are in the commune of Jumièges in the Seine-Maritime Departement of Normandy, France. In 654 Clovis II of Neustria, through the influence of his wife Balthild, gave forested land from royal holdings to the former nobleman and courtier Philibert on which he founded the abbey. Balthild's generosity added "many gifts and pastures from the royal fisc" but due to a conflict with Ebroin, the mayor of the palace, he was exiled from Neustria. Jumièges prospered under its second abbot Aichardus with around 900 monks. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.