[Trappist Monk, Founder De La Trappe D'Aiguebelle] Vie du R. P. Dom Etienne. (Pierre-Francois De Paule Malmy) Foundateur Et Abbe De La Trappe D'Aiguebelle

Paris: Auguste Vaton, Libraire, Avignon, 1841. First Edition, First Printing. Quarter Leather. Very Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued.

Quarter-morocco to black marbled boards with five spine bands and bright gilt titles; ex monastery library stamp, 12mo. 7 inches tall 114 pages; Engraved portrait frontispiece and folding facsimile letter attached at the rear.

Title translation [Life of Rev. Dom Etienne. (Pierre-Francois de Paule Malmy) Founder and Abbot de la Trappe d'Aiguebelle]

The bindings are tight and square. Text clean with occasional foxing, light even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear, the lower corners are rubbed and upper bumped; the facsimile letter has edge folds. Text in French.

No copies were found in OCLC/WorldCat. Aiguebelle Abbey is a Trappist monastery located in Montjoyer and Réauville, in the Drôme region of France, near the borders of Dauphiné and Provence.

Initially, this site held a Benedictine monastery established in 1045 by Hugues Adhemar, who was the baron of Grignan. Pope Paschal II even visited in 1107. However, it later became inactive.

By the late 13th century, Aiguebelle Abbey had gained significant prominence and influence. However, its status gradually declined during the 14th century. Like many other monasteries, it was impacted by events like the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War. Changing spiritual perspectives also caused a decrease in people choosing monastic life.

In 1815, Trappist monks, led by Pierre-François de Paul Malmy (known as Père Étienne), reestablished the abbey. These monks came from La Valsainte, a Swiss abbey led by Augustin de Lestrange, who was fleeing revolutionary forces. The new foundation thrived, and by 1850, the abbey had a community of 233 monks.