Abbaye Saint-Nicolas, Angers, Benedictine abbey in Doutre-Saint-Jacques-Nazareth district, Angers, France
Abbaye Saint-Nicolas is a Benedictine monastery in Angers with a notable bell tower and several protected buildings arranged around a central courtyard. The 18th-century southern facade and the surrounding structures form the core of the historical complex.
Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou, ordered the abbey's foundation around 1021, and the first church was consecrated on 1 December 1020. A new church was consecrated by Pope Urban II on 10 February 1096. In 1454 the abbey hosted the wedding of René I d'Anjou and Jeanne de Laval. Sold as national property during the Revolution, it later served as a barracks, hospital and asylum.
The abbey complex now serves as the mother house for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd congregation, continuing a spiritual presence since 1835.
The abbey now serves as a retirement home with limited access to visitors who need to arrange visits beforehand. Only select areas of the complex are available for viewing due to its current residential function.
The abbey church, consecrated by Pope Urban II on 10 February 1096, was destroyed during the Revolution; only shale foundations at rue Ambroise-Paré may survive from it. The wedding of René I d'Anjou and Jeanne de Laval was held here on 10 September 1454.
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