In the 12th century, Count Withier de Rethel wanted to found an abbey on his lands. He called on the abbey of Loroy (in the Cher department): twelve monks led by Abbot Roger, a Cistercian monk of English origin, arrived on the immense estate bequeathed by the Count. Roger chose a secluded valley surrounded by numerous springs and, in 1148 or 1154, founded the new abbey, which he named Esland. This large supply of water was a key factor in the choice of monks. The Cistercians (a monastic family founded by Saint Bernard of Clervaux) were experts in water management. They dug canals and built dykes using the natural slope of the land, creating waterfalls that turned the grain mills and powered the forge hammers: a godsend for the local economy! Unfortunately, however, the abbey did not survive the Revolution and the industrial upheavals of the 19th century.