St. Jean des Vignes Abbey, Soissons, France

The Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes was a monastery of Augustinian Canons situated in the south western hills of Soissons. Only ruins remain, of which the west front is still one of the most spectacular pieces of architecture in the town.

The abbey was founded on St. John's hill in 1076 by Hughes Le Blanc. Initially built in Romanesque style, the first buildings were replaced at the end of the 12th century by those visible today. The west front was begun in the 12th century, although not finished until the 16th. The refectory and cellar date from the 13th century, parts of the cloisters from the end of the 13th century, while other parts are from the 16th century, as is the abbot's lodging.

When the abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution the premises were put to use for military purposes, and an arsenal was added.

The site was acquired by the town of Soissons in the 1970s and the remaining buildings are now occupied by educational and heritage-related bodies.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Chris Coleman (5 years ago)
Lovely walking around the grounds. A big plus was it was free.

Joseph Saade (5 years ago)
Loaded with history. The guided tour was not up to our expectation.

Michele Viezzoli (5 years ago)
Nice abbey to visit

Kiki Glazebrook (6 years ago)
Needs a little more upkeep,but other than that it was very cool and interesting to witness

Jérôme Martins (6 years ago)
It's a unique place to visit. The history of the place place is unusual, I def recommend to know more about it with the friendly guide in the information office. There are also two museums that unfortunately were closed that day. In the caves there are also paintings exhibitions. Loads to learn in this place.

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There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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