Saint-Polycarpe : Vestiges of the abbey and its aqueduct

The creation of the monastery dates back to 780, or 811 according to the documents of Charlemagne dated from the 44th year of his reign. It would be attributed to Attala, the first abbot. The monks followed the rule of Saint Benoît. Initially, the abbey was led by regular abbots, chosen by members of the religious community. In the 11th and early 12th century, it was reduced to a simple priory, sometimes dependent on the abbots of the Lagrasse monastery, sometimes on those of Alet. Between the 13th century and the middle of the 15th century, regular abbots resumed the reins of the abbey. Thereafter, it was placed under the authority of the Archbishops of Narbonne. In 1705, a Jansenist reform was set up. The archbishops of Narbonne then decided to dissolve the abbey and to merge his income with those of the great seminary of Narbonne in 1771. The abbey consisted of four large buildings arranged in square to form a cloister. To the north was the church. To the east were the chapter, the tool room, the kitchen and the refectory. The building to the south contained the abbot's apartment, with the attic above the attic, the dormitory and the infirmary of the Convers brothers, and below, the barns. To the west, the building housed the exercise room, the library, the infirmary-pharmacy, and above, the dormitory of the religious as well as a room to learn the plain song. At the entrance of the convent, to the north, the guest apartment and the aqueduct were located. The building to the east surrounding the cloister was demolished in 1894. In 1891, a fire ravaged the buildings located in the south and west. The columns of the cloister, dating from the 14th century, would have been used to repair the cloister of the old abbey of Saint-Hilaire.