Valasse Abbey

A double vow , a Cistercian foundation, and a new vocation. The first swore to found a monastery if he survived the shipwreck. The second promised a pious donation if she escaped the ambush. His name was Waleran, Count of Meulan, and he was returning from the Crusades. She was Mathilde, heiress of the Anglo-Norman duke-king, and she was fleeing a rival lord. Heaven heard them. And the Bishop of Rouen united their vows with the bonds of a single foundation. Thus the abbey was born. Valasse, 1152. A Romanesque church was erected. The Hundred Years' War destroyed it. A Gothic building was rebuilt. The Revolution razed it. The time of the monks was over. Good fortune, however: set upon the pointed arches of the 12th-century halls, the convent buildings had just been restored in the classical style. A few simple renovations were all it took to transform them into a charming country estate. Medieval splendor on the ground floor, exquisite woodwork on the upper floors... But then came Valasse in 1959. The estate became a dairy. A painful memory. Now, look how beautifully the abbey is being restored to provide a sumptuous setting for its new cultural purpose. And... Make a wish!