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Morimond

Morimond, the fourth daughter abbey of Cîteaux, was founded in 1117 or 1118. It is located on the bounderies of Champagne, Lorraine and Franche-Comté, on the bank of the River Flambard, a modest tributary of the River Meuse. Its location on the edge of the kingdom of France and the Holy Empire favoured its expansion towards Germanic countries and Central Europe. It also accounts for its numerous destructions. The thirty year war caused the ruin of most buildings including two West spans of the nave of the 13th cenury church. They were all rebuilt in the 17th 18th centuries. At that time, it sheltered about 30 monks. As a result of the Revolution, the monks were driven away, the monastery was closed and sold by auction, the church, cloister and most buildings were destroyed. The only vestiges that remain nowadays are the restaured chapel Sainte Ursula, one lodge of the gateway, the arcaded façade of the library and part of a wall of the church. The excavations carried on lately have discovered the foundations of a large medieval building.