Fontenay Abbey

Fontenay was founded in 1118 by Bernard of Clairvaux and survives as one of the most complete Cistercian complexes anywhere: church, cloister, chapter house, monks' dormitory, bakery and forge, set in a narrow valley with its own stream. The Cistercian rule stripped away towers, stained glass and carving, so the church is a plain box of warm stone lit by clear windows, and the effect is closer to a barn than a cathedral. That is the point. The forge, driven by the stream, was among the earliest metalworking halls in Europe. The abbey was sold off in the 1790s and worked as a paper mill for a century before being stripped back to its medieval form.

What you actually see

• The abbey church - no tower, no colour, clear glass and bare stone.
• The cloister - short paired columns and vaulted walks around a lawn.
• The monks' dormitory - one long room under an oak roof frame.
• The forge - a water-driven metalworking hall from the twelfth century.

When to go

Open through the year, with the gardens at their best from May to September; the valley holds mist early and the light in the cloister is strongest before midday. Weekdays are quiet. Winter opening is shorter and the unheated buildings are genuinely cold, so dress for standing still rather than walking.

Honest expectations

This is a place with almost nothing in it, which is the reason to come and the reason some people leave flat after forty minutes. It is privately owned and the entry price reflects that. There is no public transport to the gate, the site spreads over grass and gravel, and rain leaves the walk between buildings muddy.

Nearby

Montbard on the main line, the Chatillonnais woods and the wine villages south towards Dijon.