 The abbey became a major center of influence, by kings and nobles over the centuries; at one the time it was financed by the dukes of Burgundy.Moutiers-Saint-Jean was sacked, burned and rebuilt a number of times; in 1567 the Huguenot army struck off the heads of the two kings on the main doorway.In 1797, after the French Revolution, the entire building was sold as rubble for rebuilding.