Priory of Notre-Dame de Lanville
Prieuré de Lanville / Alanvilla / Lanvilla
(Marcillac-Lanville, Charente)
Transept facade
The priory of Notre-Dame de Lanville was founded around the year 1120 as the seat of a community of canons following the Rule of Saint Augustine. Due to a lack of documentation, the details of its foundation and other aspects of its history remain unknown. Unlike other houses in the region, the Hundred Years’ War had only a limited impact: it appears that only the cloister was lost, and this was later rebuilt. The Wars of Religion, however, had far more serious consequences and left the site in ruins.
West facade
Affiliation with the Congregation of Sainte-Geneviève in 1654 greatly aided its reconstruction, allowing the monastery to remain active until the Revolution. Since then, the church has preserved its parish functions, which it already fulfilled during the monastic period. At the beginning of the 20th century, the façade had fallen into ruin and was rebuilt, shortening the original nave. During the same century, other parts of the building were gradually restored. The current vaults of the nave date from this period, as the church was previously covered with domes. Ruins of the medieval buildings are still preserved, along with parts of the monastic complex rebuilt in the 17th century.
Mural paintings
Mural paintings
- AUBERT, R. (2010). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques. Vol. 22. París: Letouzey et Ané
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1910). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 3: Auch, Bordeaux. Abbaye de Ligugé
- DARAS, Charles (1971). Églises de Charente. París: Ed. Latines
- LANGE, Alain (1976). En Charente. Le prieuré de Lanville. Sites et Monuments, núm. 74
The priory of Lanville belongs to the municipality of Marcillac-Lanville, located northwest of Angoulême