Abbaye & Chapel
The Abbaye is home to the permanent residential community at Bonnevaux.
The foundations of the Abbaye go back to the 12th century and was remodeled in the 19th century. Our renovation of Bonnevaux respects the heritage of the past while meeting the needs of the present. The main house has 15 rooms, capacity for 20, accommodating the resident community and visitors.
The ground floor accommodates communal spaces and facilities including a library, lounge and dining areas. Bedrooms are situated on the first floor. The main aspects of the renovation are finished and the residential community moved in just before Easter 2019.
The Abbaye was planned in an H-shape with a central core, dating from the
late 18th century, flanked at the ends by two protruding wings. These two wings are older than the central building as is evidenced by their vaulted rooms and their Medieval fireplaces.
Documents and archives show that an Abbaye, affiliated to the Order of Cîteaux, was built here in 1201. No longer in existence, all that remains are a small room and the superb gallery of its former cloister, listed as a French Historic Monument.
This large, 2-storey residence has a sober, balanced architecture, its facades featuring regularly spaced openings. The building has numerous doors leading outside, a large stairway and three back stairways that go up to the first floor. The carcass of the building is in a good state of repair and it’s roof was recently fully restored.
Renovation
See some images of the renovation work, completed in 2019
