The Abbey of Lake Joux, now disappeared, was a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian Order. It was located in what is now the municipality of L'Abbaye in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. In historical documents, the monastery successively bore the names “Leonna”: (from the Lionne stream that flows through the village of L'Abbaye), “Domus Dei”, and later “Abbey of Cuarnens” before becoming known as the Abbey of the Lake or the Abbey of Lake Joux, the name under which it is known today.
Origins The earliest commonly accepted date for the foundation of the abbey is 1126. This date is based on a charter (undated) by Gérold de Faucigny, bishop of Lausanne, confirming the foundation of the Abbey of Lake Joux. (doc. 1); (pièce annexe 7) The original document has been lost but appears in an eighteenth-century edition by Charles-Hyacinthe Hugo. This text indicates that the Abbey of Lake Joux was a daughter house of Saint-Martin of Laon, founded in 1124.
However, in the bull confirming the Premonstratensian Order issued by Pope Honorius II on , which predates the charter, the Abbey of Lake Joux does not appear in the list of the order’s houses.
The end of the episcopate of Gérold (1134) must therefore be considered the latest possible date for the abbey’s foundation. The first mention of an abbot of Lake Joux in a document from 1135 confirms this dating.Cantonal Archives of Vaud, CIV2. The foundation can thus be placed between 1126 and 1134.
A second document dated 1141 consists of an inventory of donations made to the abbey at the time of its foundation. (doc. XIII; note 210, p. 94) It survives only in a later copy preserved in a register entitled Foundations and rights of the Abbey of Lake Joux.La Grosse date de 1577, Archives cantonales vaudoises, reference Ad7.
A third document, dated 1149 records the benefactions granted to the young monastery by Abbot Stephen of Lake Joux. (doc. XVII); (doc. 6); (§ 3) As with the other documents mentioned above, the original has been lost.
To commemorate the 900th anniversary of the arrival of the first Premonstratensians, an association dedicated to the foundation of the Premonstratensian Order at L’Abbaye du Lac-de-Joux was created. A commemorative celebration is scheduled from Friday, 29 May 2026, to Sunday, 31 May 2026.
Saint Norbert Two versions of the Life of Saint NorbertThere are two sources for the "Life of Saint Norbert". recount the journey of the religious leader to Rome to obtain recognition for his recently founded order.; It has sometimes been inferred that Norbert of Xanten must have crossed the Jura Mountains and, while passing through the Vallée de Joux, asked Gosbert (Cospert) to lead the young abbey whose creation he had helped inspire. However, these conclusions remain speculative. Although the journey to Rome in 1126 is mentioned in both texts, no route is specified. Moreover, Vita B does not list Lake Joux among Norbert’s foundations. None of the sources related to the monastery itself mentions Saint Norbert. If he had been involved in its foundation, even indirectly, such a reference would likely have been used to enhance the abbey’s prestige. Most historians therefore dismiss any direct role for Norbert of Xanten in the foundation of the Abbey of Lake Joux.,,
Ebal of Grandson By contrast, the meeting between Norbert of Xanten and Barthélemy de Grandson (of Jur, of Joux), bishop of Laon from 1113 onward, proved decisive. The latter was the brother of Ebal I of Grandson, son of Falcon (Conon, Foulques) of Grandson and Adèle of Roucy. The young Norbert, having broken with his canon chapter in Xanten, was entrusted to him in 1119 by Pope Calixtus II. Norbert found in Barthélemy a supporter who enabled the foundation of the congregation of Prémontré, named after a village of the same name near Laon. From that point on, the bishop of Laon continued to promote the order, even long after Norbert had renounced its leadership in 1124.
His kinship with Ebal, the principal donor to the new institution, undoubtedly facilitated the foundation of the abbey in this location. The twelfth century witnessed a profound reform of monastic movements. Family networks played a key role in the establishment of religious institutions in the Jura. For local lords, it was then considered proper to support one institution or another, of which they became the protectors and lay advocates. For Ebal, who already controlled the passage of Les Clées on the road to Jougne, as well as that of Pontarlier on the Via Francigena, the region of Mollendruz and the northwestern tip of Lake Joux remained very poorly monitored and virtually uninhabited. The establishment allowed him to occupy the territory indirectly and ensure its control, since apart from the existence of a convent of a few hermits at Le Lieu-Poncet, dependent on Saint-Claude, the Valley at that time remained devoid of inhabitants: it was therefore a wilderness, well suited to the canons’ vows of work, solitude, and meditation.
It may also be supposed that Ebal sought in this way to create a rival to the Cluniac abbey of Romainmôtier, with which he was on strained terms.; see also Romainmôtier Abbey: the misdeeds of the Grandson family
Girold de Faucigny, bishop of Lausanne mentioned above, likewise had an interest in this new establishment. It enabled him to define the boundaries of his diocese, which were still unclear in these regions; thus, we can already see the emergence of the conflict between the Abbey of the Lake and that of Saint-Claude.
In the document of 1149 mentioned above, Abbot Stephen recalls the gifts granted to the abbey. These consisted of rights and territories at Cuarnens, as well as possessions around Lake Joux, extending as far as the village of Mont-la-Ville. In addition to Ebal of Grandson—recognized as the sole founder—it also presents other contributors, such as Rodolphe and Milon of Cuarnens, and Guillaume and Liétolde of Corbières. A careful study of this document shows that it is not a collection of donations made over the years, but rather a single, unified set of donations made at one time. While the Corbières and the Cuarnens were vassals of the Grandson family, they were also their relatives. It may therefore be inferred that a group of individuals made a collective donation under the leadership of Ebal of Grandson, himself encouraged by his brother Barthélemy, to establish an abbey that would allow them to control a vast territory.
Daughter houses During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Europe was said—according to the chronicler Raoul Glaber—to be “covered with a white mantle of churches.” French-speaking Switzerland was no exception, and the Abbey of Lake Joux established several daughter houses, some of which still exist.
Rueyres and Bellegarde The priory of Rueyres was a direct dependency of the mother house. From the twelfth century, fourteen documents relating to the Abbey of Lake Joux are known, six of which concern or mention this establishment. An interesting point is the mention of Premonstratensian nuns residing there, which would make it the only female Premonstratensian community in the region, along with that of Posat near Farvagny. Among scholars, there is confusion regarding the number of establishments bearing the name Rueyres.This does not refer to the present-day municipality of Rueyres in the Gros-de-Vaud, but rather to a locality in Lavaux. They struggle to reach an agreement: their number varies from case to case, and it is unclear whether these were communities of men or women; they propose the following:
A monastery of men at Bellawarda (Bellegarde) and an establishment of Norbertine nuns at Rueyres in Lavaux. They struggle to reach an agreement: their number varies from case to case, and it is unclear whether it was a community of men or women; they suggest: A monastery of men at Bellawarda (Bellegarde) and a Norbertine establishment at Rueyres in Lavaux. A single female monastery at Rueyres. Two establishments, both named Rueyres: the first at Bellawarda in the Jorat, the second a convent of Premonstratensian nuns near Saint-Saphorin (Lavaux). Two distinct monasteries (Bellawarda and Rueyres), but without specification as to gender. A single monastery bearing the name Rueyres.
The confusion originates from three documents dating to 1140. In the first, Guy de Maligny, bishop of Lausanne, grants the Abbey of Lake Joux a piece of land called Bellawarda, with the associated rights, located in the Jorat, to build a monastery there. (doc. XIV; note 210, p. 94); (Instr. coll.); (doc. 2) In the same year, a second document informs us of the existence of a community of sisters at Rueyres.Donation by Arducius of Faucigny, Bishop of Geneva, to the sisters of Rueyres of half of a rent he owned at Chexbres – (doc. XVI); (Instr. XIX, coll. 140); (doc. 5) Still in 1140,Confirmation of the foundation of the Abbey of the Lac de Joux and its possessions by Guy, Bishop of Lausanne – (doc. XV); (doc. 3) a third document mentions two places named Rueyres and a piece of land in the Jorat without naming it: it is assumed to be the land of Bellegarde previously granted by Bishop Guy. By 1209, a monastery of men is attested there. (no. 275) These successive references have therefore led some scholars to suppose that two distinct communities existed, one of which was located at Bellegarde, since the bishop of Lausanne had granted that land for the construction of an abbey. Finally, a papal bull dated 29 September 1177, issued by Pope Alexander III, rules out the existence of a monastery at Bellegarde:Bull confirming the possessions and privileges of the Abbey of the Lac de Joux – (doc. XV); (no. 1320); (doc. 11) “(...) a place with vineyards at Rueyres (...) as well as a piece of land in the forest of the Jorat, which was granted to you by Guy of blessed memory, formerly bishop of Lausanne (...)”- Martinet 1994, p. 33
This “land in the Jorat” is almost certainly Bellegarde, and all evidence suggests that the planned establishment was never founded there, especially since the name Bellegarde thereafter disappears from the records.
Humilimont Humilimont Abbey was founded between 1136 and 1141 in the commune of Marsens by the lords of the same name, counts of Gruyère. At first, it housed a double monastery, but the female community was moved to Posat in 1140. The abbey was suppressed in 1580 to facilitate the establishment of the Jesuits in Fribourg.
Bellelay
The abbey was founded in 1141 by Siginand, provost of the chapter of Moutier-Grandval Abbey. Today, the eighteenth-century buildings house a psychiatric hospital.
Fontaine-André This abbey was founded in 1143 by Richard, abbot of Lake Joux. The Premonstratensians left the abbey in 1543. Since 1954, it has belonged to the De La Salle Brothers.
Gottstatt
The abbey was founded in 1255 at Stadowe on a bend of the Thielle River. It was originally intended as a daughter house of Weissenau Abbey in Swabia. After that attempt failed, it was established by settlers from Bellelay Abbey and came under the authority of the Abbey of Lake Joux in 1279.
Conflicts with other monasteries