Fontdouce Abbey

The monastery was founded by the Benedictines in 1111. At its peak, it housed around one hundred monks, but gradually fell into obscurity following the Wars of Religion. Sold as national property after the French Revolution, it was then transformed into a wine-growing farm: the monastic buildings, partially buried under a meter of fill, served as wine cellars, sheds, and storage areas.
Starting in 1970, the current owners undertook a series of excavations for the restoration of Fontdouce Abbey. They gradually brought back to life the beautiful chapter house and the Gothic parlor, the two superimposed Romanesque chapels, and several other remains. This collection of buildings offers a unique glimpse into the numerous transformations the site has undergone over time.

Besides its conventual buildings, Fontdouce's appeal also lies in its surroundings. The abbey is situated away from major roads, in the heart of a verdant valley enhanced by formal French gardens and clear water features.

The abbey complex includes formal French gardens and monastic buildings, most of which are still remarkably well-preserved. Among these buildings, we recommend the Romanesque lower chapel, the beautiful and ornate Gothic chapter house (one of the largest in France), the Gothic parlor corridor with its remarkably white stones, and the cloister. The ruins of the Gothic abbey church also suggest the power Fontdouce once held. Soon, you will also be able to admire the vast scriptorium, the existence of which was revealed during preventative excavations this year.
The formal French gardens were recently recreated based on an engraving of the abbey dating from before the French Revolution. They are punctuated by water points (fountains and basins) fed by the river which you can follow through the woods to reach, 400 meters further upstream, its source.