The Abbey was established in 1204, but became famous when its discipline was reformed in 1609 by its abbess Marie Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661). The Arnauld family became its patrons and the convent's subsequent history was directed by a number of the holders of that name. In 1625 most of the nuns moved to a new Port-Royal in Paris, which subsequently became Port-Royal de Paris (or, more commonly, Port-Royal) while the older one was known as Port-Royal des Champs ("Port-Royal of the fields").