The Cistercian abbey of Mègemont was founded by Robert IV Dauphin of Auvergne (c. 1155–1234), who established it between 1199 and 1206. Because of the limited documentation that survives, its history remains little known. It was dependent on the Abbey of Montpeyroux (Puy-de-Dôme).
During the first half of the 14th century, several nuns belonged to the Dauphin family of Auvergne, although the monastery later maintained relations with other noble families. It was a modest house, probably because of its isolated location in a mountainous region, with limited resources that hindered its development. After a period of stagnation, in 1601 the commendatory abbess belonged to the de Nérestang family, which also headed the Cistercian male abbey of La Bénisson-Dieu (Loire).
This situation facilitated an exchange of communities between Mègemont and La Bénisson-Dieu, aiming to obtain better conditions for the nuns. Mègemont was then directed by Abbess Françoise de Nérestang (†1652), while Claude de Nérestang, her brother, was in charge of La Bénisson-Dieu. The male community moved to Auvergne, while the nuns took possession of La Bénisson-Dieu; this arrangement became effective in 1612. The female abbey of La Bénisson-Dieu was suppressed during the Revolution, and the male community established at Mègemont also disappeared at that time and for the same reason.
At Mègemont, significant remains of the monastic complex are preserved, although they have been much altered. The church, built in the first quarter of the 13th century, had a single nave with a transept, leading to the main apse —of the same width as the nave—, flanked by two rectangular side chapels. Today only the eastern end is preserved, while the rest of the building lies in ruins. Of the cloister, only the open space remains, surrounded by later constructions. The monastic site, located in an isolated area, is now public property.
Armorial général de France (s. XVIII)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
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- BOUVARD, Emmanuelle (2006). L'abbaye de Mègemont en Auvergne: Mise en place d'un protocole archéologique pluridisciplinaire. Cîteaux, commentarii cistercienses, vol. 57
- BOUVARD, Emmanuelle (2010). L'abbaye cistercienne de Mègemont : fortune d'un monastère auvergnat. Les Dossiers d’Archéologie, núm. 340
- BOUVARD, Emmanuelle (2016). Empreintes monastiques en moyenne montagne du XIIe siècle à l’Actuel. Tesi doctoral: Université Lumière Lyon 2
- DU TEMS, Hugues (1775). Le clergé de France, vol. III. París: Brunet
- GRÉLOIS, Alexis (2016). Les cisterciennes auvergnates face aux crises de la fin du Moyen Âge. Cîteaux, commentarii cistercienses, vol. 67
- RÉSIE, Comte de (1855). Histoire de l'église d'Auvergne, vol. 3 (1100-1560). Clermont-Ferrand. L. Catholique
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia
Mègemont belongs to the commune of Chassagne, south of Clermont-Ferrand. The monastery stands in a remote place, to the east of the village