Bec Abbey, Benedictine abbey in Le Bec-Hellouin, France
Bec Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in a small village in Normandy, with buildings dating from the 17th century. The compound centers on a cloister and is marked by the distinctive Saint Nicholas Tower that rises above the surrounding roofs.
Herluin, a Norman knight, founded the abbey in 1034 on land at Bonneville; the community moved down to the Bec valley around 1039 for water. Lanfranc of Pavia arrived in 1039 and opened the monastic school in 1045, drawing around a hundred students, among them the future Pope Alexander II. Anselm of Aosta succeeded him as prior and schoolmaster in 1063. Damaged in the Wars of Religion and left a ruin by the Revolution, the site was revived by Olivetan monks in 1948.
The abbey's name comes from the Norse bekkr, a nearby stream. Its school, founded by Lanfranc of Pavia in 1045, drew about a hundred students, including the future Pope Alexander II. Today the monks are known for their pottery, and the library holds the John Graham Bishop deposit of 5,000 works on Anglicanism.
The grounds are open to visitors on most days, and you can walk around at your own pace. Some areas have limited hours, and it is helpful to visit the church during prayer services to experience the living community.
The abbey has maintained a special connection to the Anglican Church for centuries and regularly hosts visits from Archbishops of Canterbury. This relationship is unusual in France and reflects the long history of collaboration between this place and England.
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