Abbaye de Beauport

The Abbaye de Beauport is a ruined medieval abbey on the coast of northern Brittany, at Kérity in the commune of Paimpol (Côtes-d'Armor). It was founded in 1202 by Alain, Count of Goëlo, also known as Alain d'Avaugour, for Premonstratensian canons from the abbey of La Lucerne in Normandy. Since the early 1990s it has belonged to the Conservatoire du littoral, the French coastal protection agency, and it is open to visitors.

What you are looking at

The photograph is taken inside the nave of the abbey church, which has lost its roof. Grass grows where the floor once was, and clumps of white and pink hydrangeas fill the foreground. On both sides rise walls of rough grey granite, pierced by tall pointed arches that once opened into the aisles. Moss, ferns and small plants grow in the joints of the stone.

At the far end, the gable wall still holds a large pointed window with its stone tracery intact, a pattern of trefoils and lancets now framing only sky and trees. Above it a smaller pair of lancets pierces the top of the gable. Beneath the great window a smaller arch, closed with an iron gate, gives a view into the green garden beyond. The light is soft and overcast, typical of the Breton coast.

History

An earlier community had been settled on the nearby island of Saint-Riom in the late 12th century. In 1202 Count Alain transferred its property to a new foundation on the mainland at Beauport, entrusting it to the Premonstratensians, an order of canons regular. Built mainly in the 13th century, the abbey became a major landowner in the region and, by tradition, a stopping point for pilgrims travelling by sea toward Santiago de Compostela. Its buildings include a vaulted hall known as the Salle au Duc, a long refectory facing the sea and a chapter house, as well as the Gothic church.

The community was suppressed during the French Revolution in 1790 and the abbey was sold. The church fell into ruin while other buildings were used as farm stores. The site was classified as a historic monument in 1862, and its restoration and gardens are now managed for the public.

Why it appeals

Roofless Gothic churches, with tracery open to the sky and plants growing from the stones, have been a favorite Romantic image since the 18th century. Beauport is a fine example of Gothic ruins and a natural fit for dark academia. Compare the intact Gothic of Siena Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral, or the medieval Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux.