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The Abbey of Thoronet

The Abbey of Thoronet

Monument

The Thoronet abbey, a Cisterian monastery founded in 1146 by the Tourtour monks in a wild setting in the Var region, gathers its monastery buildings around a cloister which is protected by sturdy arcatures from the Romanesque period. Apart from the "palm tree" vault in the chapter house, the barrel vault predominates; its majestic volumes round out everywhere, from the church to the storeroom without forgetting the dormitory, which rose from the ruins brought about by the 18th century "improvements". The state purchased the abbey progressively from 1854 onwards and it recovered its original appearance thanks to important renovation works.

The Abbaye de Montmajour in Arles

The Abbaye de Montmajour in Arles

Monument

Above the plain to the northeast of Arles, the Saint-Peter abbey was founded on the "Mount Majour" (the big mountain) in 948. Until 1790, Benedictine monks lived there according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nurcie.

Tour Saint-Nicolas in La Rochelle

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The Monument

The Castle of Oiron

[img_assist|nid=41544|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=400|height=300] The Monument The château of Oiron, in the South of Chinon and Saumur, should be as famous as the most beautiful châteaus of the Val de Loire. This construction, constantly transformed by the successive generations of the Gouffier family (from the Poitou region), is a […]

The Gallo-Roman site of Sanxay

The Gallo-Roman site of Sanxay

Monument

The Abbey of Charroux

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The Monument

The Castle of Pierrefonds

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The Monument

The castle of Coucy

[img_assist|nid=41507|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=424|height=283]   The Monument The castle of Coucy’s ruins are situated on a promontory which dominates the Oise and the Ailette valleys, between the region of Soissons and the region of Laon. It was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century by Enguerrand of Coucy, […]

The Castle of Angers

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The essence of the monument

Do not be put off by the apparent austerity of this shale and limestone fortress, interspersed with 17 towers, which the young Saint Louis had built on the edge of his kingdom in 13th Century…

Cross the drawbridge and inside the castle walls you will find the pleasant residence of the Dukes of Anjou, composed of buildings constructed at the end of the gothic era and gardens. Other marvels await you, amongst which the highly exceptional Apocalypse tapestry, the largest medieval tapestry known to exist (it is 104 metres long), and the famous mille-fleurs and Passion tapestries…

The Castle of Carrouges

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Austere but captivating, the castle of Carrouges is like a summary of history from the 11th to the 20th century. It was besieged by the Plantagenêts, then rebuilt during the Hundred Years War (keep), extended in the 15th century (Blosset wing), decorated during the Renaissance (Pavilion of Cardinal Le Veneur) and fortified again during the wars of Religion (western bastion). Then, it became a magnificent residence in the 17th century (big flats) and was restructured in the Age of the Enlightenment (music room).

Lodging