Guided tours of Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye | Church and Treasury

Presentation

It is said that no one comes to Saint-Antoine by chance. Whether it is history, heritage, the passion of the Middle Ages or curiosity that have guided your steps, Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye invites you to discover its secrets and its millennial history.

The visit begins with the Porterie and the Great Court which form the grand entrance into the Abbey of Saint-Antoine. Visitors get a glimpse of the grandeur of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Anthony through the conventual buildings that surround it. The visit continues on the forecourt of the church where the western facade imposes itself in its majesty and its monumentality. Who was Saint Anthony the Egyptian? Why are his relics in this small village in Dauphiné?

With the arrival of the relics around the year 1070 is added the appearance of the disease called "burning sickness" or "Saint Anthony's fire" that only Saint Anthony the Egyptian is able to cure. Pilgrims and the sick flock from all over Europe to this town in Dauphiné to be treated or pray to the saint to protect them from illness. 3 successive churches were built, the last being the one visited today. The architecture astonishes the visitor of the past and of today with its dimensions and its monumentality, both inside and outside.

Two religious orders clash here: the Benedictines and the future Antonines. Their conflict shapes the village, the church and the abbey. Over the years, the future Antonins went from a small hospital in the village of Saint-Antoine to a myriad of hospitals and establishments all over Europe. Their ascent was brutally interrupted by the Wars of Religion which left an abbey in ruins. Abbey which will be reborn from its ashes thanks to the relics of Saint Anthony saved from the conflict and still visible to visitors today.

The visit ends with the Treasury and its mysteries. The relics of the holy martyrs rub shoulders with surgical tools and choir books. The liturgical vestments wait to be contemplated in their magnificent chapier, a rare piece of furniture surprising in its form. Finally, what would the Treasury be without the chalices, monstrances and other religious objects?

Saint-Antoine and its treasures are just waiting to be discovered!

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