Léhon - Abbaye Saint-Magloire

The abbey, dedicated to Saint Magloire of Dol, a Welsh monk who became Bishop of Dol-de-Bretagne and ended his life on the island of Sark (~575). The abbey was founded in the 9th century with a strong support of Nominoë, the legendary first Duke of Brittany. In 910, the Vikings raid the area and loot and destroy the monastery. The monks had left already. They transferred the relics of Saint-Magloire to Paris, where they founded a new Abbaye Saint-Magloire.

The monks returned and and started to rebuilt from 1008 on. The abbey flourished, but was dependent from the Abbaye de Marmoutier (Tours), what caused trouble with all bishops around. The convent had a long history, that ended when, in 1767, - the buildings were crumbling -, the last six monks left. The building were sold as "National Property" after the French Revolution and were used as a brewery for a while. Reconstruction started mid 19th century. The single nave church, built around 1190-1210, now serves the parish.

The nicely sculpted, monolithic baptismal font (13th c.) was used in the older parish church, before it was moved to the former abbey church after the renovation. The "green men" on the bottom may stand for the pagan gods.