The Abbey of Lieu-Croissant (Latin: Locus Crescens), known under the name of the Abbey of the Three Kings (Latin: Trium Regum), founded in the 12th century, was subordinate to Lucelle Monastery and flourished throughout the Middle Ages due to the patronage of the region's noble houses: the Counts of Montbéliard, the Counts of Montfaucon and de la Roche, the Lords of Granges and de Grammont, the Counts of Ferrette, and the Lords of Neuchâtel.
The abbey was located in the valley formed by the Ruisseau de l'Abbaye stream, a small right-bank tributary of the Doubs. The Latin name (Locus crescentis — "The Growing Place") is connected with the special veneration of the Virgin Mary by the Cistercians, to whom the abbey belonged. An inscription in Gothic script on a stone mounted into the northern wall of the monastery in the 14th century read: "Crescat in te, pia, semper locus iste, Maria" ("May this place ever grow in Thy name, O merciful Mary").
In 1163, during the transfer of the relics of the Three Magi (Three Kings) from Milan to Cologne, organized by order of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the procession made a stop at the Abbey of Lieu-Croissant. Because of this event, the monastery later became known as the Abbey of the Three Kings. In gratitude for the warm reception, the monks were given a particle of the relics of one of the Three Magi.
The history of the abbey is very rich. However, it was this very event that was the basis for the depiction of the three kings on the ancestral coat of arms of de Grammont, as it looked in its original form (before being altered due to an error by Gothic-style artists).
I would appreciate it if any of the forum members could supplement the article with historical facts related to the abbey.
The abbey was located in the valley formed by the Ruisseau de l'Abbaye stream, a small right-bank tributary of the Doubs. The Latin name (Locus crescentis — "The Growing Place") is connected with the special veneration of the Virgin Mary by the Cistercians, to whom the abbey belonged. An inscription in Gothic script on a stone mounted into the northern wall of the monastery in the 14th century read: "Crescat in te, pia, semper locus iste, Maria" ("May this place ever grow in Thy name, O merciful Mary").
In 1163, during the transfer of the relics of the Three Magi (Three Kings) from Milan to Cologne, organized by order of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the procession made a stop at the Abbey of Lieu-Croissant. Because of this event, the monastery later became known as the Abbey of the Three Kings. In gratitude for the warm reception, the monks were given a particle of the relics of one of the Three Magi.
The history of the abbey is very rich. However, it was this very event that was the basis for the depiction of the three kings on the ancestral coat of arms of de Grammont, as it looked in its original form (before being altered due to an error by Gothic-style artists).
I would appreciate it if any of the forum members could supplement the article with historical facts related to the abbey.
![[-]](https://forum.grammontclub.com/images/collapse.png)