Bon-Repos Abbey

Saint-Gelven, France

The Bon-Repos Abbey was founded by Viscount Alain III de Rohan in c. 1184. According to legend, he was asked to build it by the Virgin Mary; she appeared to him in a dream when he fell asleep on this spot after a hard day’s hunting in the Quénécan Forest. After a tumultuous history, which included being burnt down by the Chouans (Royalists) in 1795, the abbey fell into ruin until it was rescued in 1986 by the local community who founded the Association of Friends of Bon Repos Abbey. Thanks to the association, part of the abbey has been restored although the main body is an empty shell. Nowadays the abbey is devoted to nurturing contemporary art by having artists in residence and holding regular exhibitions.

References:

Brittany Tourism

Address

D44, Saint-Gelven, France

See all sites in Saint-Gelven

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

More Information

www.brittanytourism.com

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Martyn Smith (4 years ago)
Beautiful walks in stunning setting

D Henrich (4 years ago)
Interesting scenery of an old 13th century gate and a square ruin of the 17th century, which used to be a cistercensian abbaye before. Without corona-pandemic, there is a big summer light-show in front of the monasterie's ruins surrounded by lush woods.

Chris Dunn (4 years ago)
It's a building site at the moment.

Ann On-Holiday (4 years ago)
A small but lively artisan market there on a Sunday. Plus a bar overlooking the lake & another bar further down. The Abbey and woods and lake are very nice indeed. Better in the sunshine!

Paula Turner (6 years ago)
Fab show we really enjoyed it and not expensive

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright CONTROTONO

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.