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A Little bit of History in St Hilaire.
Ref: mc579
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Set in the heart of the medieval town of Saint Hilaire this fantastic renovation project would, when finished, give you a really interesting, 4 bed roomed, stone house with a small garden. The property needs redesigning and renovating from top to bottom, it's up to you!
St Hilaire is famous for it's Benedictine abbey and the discovery of the first ever sparkling wine 'la blanquette'. Which I think is every bit as good as Champagne.
Discovered by it's Benedictine monks in 1531 it was the forerunner to Champagne, this is where Dom Pérignon another Benedictine monk born in 1639 got the idea for the 'methode champenoise'.
Almost a contemporary of Louis XIV, he was neither a vine grower nor alchemist. It was at the time of a pilgrimage he made to the l'Abbaye of St Hilaire that he learnt of the method of making effervescent wines in particular applied to Blanquette of Limoux. On his return to Hautvillers, close d'Épernay, he then recreated the Limouxine method and it was he who ensured the control of the vines and the presses of l'abbaye d'Hautvillers.
The origins of the fortified Benedictine abbey at Saint Hilaire date back to the 6th and 7th centuries, the exact date is unknown. Its first recorded mention is in 825, when the abbey is said to be the home of the tomb of Saint Hilaire, the first bishop of Carcassonne.
The Benedictine monastery benefited from numerous donations and was linked to the St. Michel de Cuxa abbey in the 10th century. From the 13th century onwards, the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire was under the protection of the counts of Carcassonne, but during the Albigensian Crusade the monks were accused of heresy and lost their autonomy.
During the 14th century, papal documents show that the abbey of 29 monks was suffering financial difficulties; its population was accordingly reduced to 20.
The abbey experienced further difficulties due to the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death.
At the Concordat of Bologne (1516), the king was granted the right to elect the abbot. He was invariably an aristocrat not living the monastic life nor at the abbey, which contributed to the abbey's decline.
In 1574, the abbey and the town were severely damaged by fire during the Wars of Religion.
Further damage was done during the 18th-century French Revolution.
Finally, in the 18th century, the Bishop of Carcossonne closed the abbey.
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| 139,000€ |
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