Abbaye de Moreaucourt, Medieval abbey in L'Étoile, France

The Abbaye de Moreaucourt is a ruined stone complex behind a lawn in L'Étoile. On the left, a tall round tower of pale gray stone rises with a broken, uneven top and small rectangular openings. Attached below and to its right is a lower wall section with pointed gable outlines and a dark arched doorway, while a sloping lower stone wall with a pitched roof line extends to the right, containing a dark rectangular window with grating and a tall narrow slab. The masonry is weathered gray and tan, with sections of exposed, rough stonework at the right end.

Aléaume d'Amiens founded the priory on his land at Moreaucourt around 1146, though some sources give 1165. A bull of Pope Alexander III confirmed its donations and privileges on 13 March 1178, and the complex was enlarged in 1228. Destroyed in 1455, 1475, 1492, 1522 and 1595, it was rebuilt each time until the nuns moved to Amiens in 1636.

The nuns belonged to the Order of Fontevraud, a mixed order governed by an abbess; a certain Mathilde is recorded as prioress. In 1628 Jeanne-Baptiste de Bourbon, future abbess of Fontevraud, passed through Moreaucourt while Marie Cornet was prioress. The site's name appears in old forms as Moriaucourt and Moricortis.

Tours of the site are arranged by the Les Amis de Moreaucourt association, making visits possible through organized groups. Planning ahead helps ensure you can access the location when you visit.

Archaeological digs from 1968 to 1991 brought the buried structures back to light after more than three centuries underground. This recovery of the lost buildings helped reveal how the monastery was originally laid out.