Fontdouce Abbey

Description

Founded in 1111, Fontdouce Abbey is a small-scale monastery during the first decades. From the 13th century, the abbey becomes richer thanks to donations, especially the ones of Eleanor of Aquitaine. A second monastery is then built next to the first one. The of the golden age lasted until the Wars of Religion at the end of the 16th century.

The community survived until the French Revolution when Fontdouce suffered a heavy damage again. The last monks living there were deported. After the Revolution, the site was sold as a national property to ancestors of the current owners. It is then turned into a farm and modified.

Fontdouce Abbey was restored since 1970. Today the site is open to the public and contains Gothic hall, Romanesque chapels and gardens.