Established in 1150 by Galéran IV, the count of Meulan, Valasse Cistercian abbey (L’abbaye Notre-Dame du Vœu) has seen much during the history: two pious vows and a lively foundation, the arrival of the 'white monks', the hundred Years' War, the nomination of abbots by the King of France, the French Revolution, the destruction of the abbey church, the transformation of the abbey into a stately manor, its use first as a spinning mill and then as a dairy and finally its purchase by the town of Gruchet-le-Valasse and its registration in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic monuments.
The abbey, which since the 18th century looks like a manor house, retains two 12th-century rooms. Under the old Cistercian vaulted ceiling dating from the 16th century, Auberge de l'Abbaye proposes cuisine inspired by the Slow Food movement. The park and the large rooms also make it possible to host seminars and corporate events in an extraordinary setting. Le Valasse Abbey also proposes fun, cultural, family and sporting events year round.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.