The monastery of Aurillac was founded by Gerald (856–909), son of the counts of Aurillac, who was born in this very place, where his family owned the castle of Saint-Étienne. In 894 Gerald travelled to Rome, where he obtained from Pope Formosus the authorization to found a monastery, together with the privilege of exemption, according to which the new house was placed under the direct authority of the Holy See, without episcopal intervention.
On his return to Auvergne, Gerald began the construction of the monastery church, and in 899 he obtained the protection of the Frankish king Charles the Simple (879–929). The founder died in 909, and his life was recorded shortly afterwards by Odo of Cluny (c. 878–942). In 916 a first monastic church of modest size was consecrated, dedicated to Saint Peter. The first abbot was Adalgaire, appointed by the founder himself, who died in 909 shortly before Saint Gerald. Between 925 and 926 the abbot was Odo, who in that year, or soon after, went on to take charge of the Abbey of Cluny.
Aurillac was never a dependency of Cluny thanks to its privilege of exemption, but the links between the two monasteries were close. In 972 a new church was consecrated, the result of a partial rebuilding of the first one, where the relics of the founder were placed in a prominent position. He was venerated as a saint, owing to the numerous miracles attributed to his intercession. Around 967, Count Borrell II of Barcelona (927–993) visited Aurillac, where he venerated the relics of Saint Gerald, and returned with the monk Gerbert of Aurillac (†1003). Gerbert studied in various Catalan monasteries and in Vic (Osona), and after stays in other European centres he was elected pope in 999 under the name of Sylvester II.
Saint Gerald the founder of the monastery
Illustration from Vie de S. Géraud, comte d'Aurillac
Bibliothèque nationale de France
At that time, Aurillac had become a religious and political centre of the first rank. The monastery played a part in the foundation of other houses, such as Saint-Pons-de-Thomières (Hérault), Chanteuges and Saint-Chaffre (Haute-Loire), Varen (Tarn-et-Garonne), Souillac (Lot) and even Santa María do Cebreiro (Lugo, Galicia). It had numerous dependent priories and extensive estates spread across many regions. At this time there is mention of a golden image of Saint Gerald, which was much venerated. In 1095, Pope Urban II, returning from the Council of Clermont, consecrated the monastery church again, after it had been reformed.
The power of the abbey, which exercised civil and criminal jurisdiction, aroused violent opposition from the people of Aurillac during the second half of the 12th century. In 1184 the monastery was assaulted and pillaged, and the damage extended to possessions in distant places. In 1233 Aurillac and its abbey were occupied again, which prompted the intervention of Pope Gregory IX, including excommunications. Despite the unrest, the monastery still enjoyed prosperity at that time.
Photo by Pierre Goiffon, on Wikimedia
Illustration from Romanorum Pontificum effigies (1580)
Biblioteca Valenciana
In the mid-14th century, a period of decline began, as a result of the Hundred Years’ War and outbreaks of plague. The situation worsened further in the 15th century: in 1464 Abbot Hugues de la Roche, the last freely elected by the community, died. From then on, the Holy See reserved the right to appoint commendatory abbots in view of the disorder. One of them was Cesare Borgia (1493–1498). Monastic life never recovered; scandals were frequent, and even the abbot’s own servants were accused of a murder committed in the town. Finally, the abbey was secularized in 1561.
Today, little remains of that once important Benedictine abbey. The church preserves some ancient elements, but its structure is largely the result of a 19th-century restoration. In the surroundings there are several buildings of monastic origin, such as the Hospital, a fountain from the cloister, and the Canons’ House, built after secularization.
Hospice attached to the abbey
Medieval fountain from the old cloister
Canons’ House
Illustration from Voyages pittoresques et romantiques dans l'ancienne France (1833)
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- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5: Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- BOUANGE, Frédéric (1870). Saint Géraud d'Aurillac et son illustre abbaye. Aurillac: Bonnet-Picut
- DU TEMS, Hugues (1775). Le clergé de France, vol. III. París: Brunet
- JOUBERT, Édouard (1981). L'abbaye bénédictine de Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac. Aurillac: I. Moderne
- NODIER, Charles (1833). Voyages pittoresques et romantiques dans l'ancienne France. Auvergne. París: Didot
- ODÓ DE CLUNY. La Vie de S. Géraud, comte d'Aurillac. Aurillac: L. Viallanes, 1715
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia
The former Abbey of Saint-Géraud stands in the centre of the town of Aurillac