Complex sentence: The monks were invited by Badin and members of the community to make their home in the area--and they did for a short while--but the congregation soon left in 1809 after a year of bad flooding.
Split into simpler sentences: The monks were invited by Badin and members of his congregation to make their home in the area--which they did for a short while. The community, though, left in 1809 after a year of bad flooding.