Abbey of Bec

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The Abbey of Bec (French: Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec) in Le Bec-Hellouin, Normandy, France, is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure département, in a valley, midway between the cities of Rouen and Le Havre.

It was founded in 1039 by Herluin, a Norman knight who about 1031 left the court of Count Gilbert of Brionne to devote himself to a life of religion: the modern commune, Le Bec-Hellouin records his name.

With the arrival of Lanfranc of Pavia - already famous for his lectures at Avranches, who came to teach as prior and master of the monastic school but left in 1062, to become Abbot of Caen (and later Archbishop of Canterbury) - Bec became a principal center of 11th century intellectual life. Lanfranc was followed as abbot by Anselm, also later an Archbishop of Canterbury. The fifth abbot, Theobald of Bec also went on to Canterbury. The future Pope Alexander II and many bishops came from the school at Bec.

The followers of William the Conqueror sponsored Bec, enriching the Abbey with extensive manors and other holdings in England; Bec also owned and managed St Neots Priory as well as a number of other British foundations. It was damaged during the Wars of Religion and left a ruin in the French Revolution, but in 1948 it was reoccupied by Benedictine monks, as the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, who effected some restorations. Notably the 15th century St. Nicholas Tower is standing from the medieval institution [1]

The founder, Herluin, later achieved sainthood. His life (Vita Herluini) was written by Abbot Gilbert Crispin. Archbishop Lanfranc also wrote a Chronicon Beccense of the life of Herluin, and of the first four abbots, which was published at Paris, 1648.

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