Hambye Abbey Ruins, Hambye, France

Located in the Normandy countryside, near from the Mont Saint-Michel, the Abbey of Notre Dame of Hambye was founded around 1145 by William Painel, Lord of Hambye, and Algare, bishop of Coutances. The monastery was established by a group of Benedictine monks from Tiron (Perche region in south-east of Basse-Normandie). Fueled by an ideal of rigor and austerity close to that of Cistercians, Benedictine monks built a sober and elegant abbey, typical of early Gothic period. The construction took place in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The religious community reached its apogee in the 13th century and then, after a long decline over the following centuries, disappeared in the 1780s.

Like all French abbeys, it became national property at the beginning of the Revolution. Eventually, the abbey was sold in 1790. The owners transformed or destroyed buildings and scattered the furnishings. Having belonged to the abbey for three centuries (16th-18th centuries), the altarpiece was also sold. The convent buildings became farm buildings. The abbey church was used as a quarry from 1810, and was gradually dismantled.

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User Reviews

Marco Attanasio (17 months ago)
Didn’t go into the grounds as we had a dog with us but it looked beautiful and there were some nice walk trails we could do separately that didn’t require entrance. Ample parking available and easy to find.

CELINA BROOK (17 months ago)
Beautiful piece of history. Well maintained, exquisite! If you're lucky, you can see a local theatre act here. The backdrop is just stunning.

Sharon Ehrlich (18 months ago)
Quite a nice experience. Lovely grounds and well presented history

Zéphyr et Luna (2 years ago)
It was an amazing experience to visit this location charged with absolute beauty and history. I had the privilege of shooting an elopement ceremony there and it was filled with magic. The staff was truly helpful and we had a magnificent experience!

Sam Beavis (2 years ago)
Just beautiful Made a visit to the Abbey with our Ukrainian refugees There was an exhibition of playmobil abbeys, but even without this fun added extra, the visit was a delight We pic-niced before going in at the picnic tables handily located by the car park, then aient a few hours in the Abbey and grounds Reasonable price Lovely day out

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The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).

Hambye Abbey Ruins

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