Fontfroide Abbey

Fontfroide was founded in 1093 and became Cistercian in 1145, growing powerful in the Corbieres; its abbot Pierre de Castelnau was murdered in 1208, the event that triggered the Albigensian crusade. Monks left in 1901 and the buildings were put up for auction in 1908, with a real risk of being dismantled and shipped abroad as several French cloisters were; Gustave and Madeleine Fayet bought them and restored the site, which their descendants still own. The buildings are ochre and pink sandstone quarried on the spot, with a large cloister, a rose garden and terraced beds planted on the hillside above.

Background

Aimery I, Viscount of Narbonne, founded the house in 1093, but it stayed poor and obscure until Ermengarde, Viscountess of Narbonne, re-founded it, and in 1157 she endowed it with a great quantity of local land. The Count of Barcelona gave it land in Spain that became the Catalan monastery of Poblet, so Fontfroide counts as Poblet's mother house. The Black Death reached Narbonne in 1348 and wiped out almost the entire community. Dissolved in 1791, the abbey was brought back to life in 1858 by monks from Sénanque Abbey. The Fayets bought it to protect the fabric from an American sculpture collector and turned it into a centre for art projects. Wine of AOC Corbières quality is produced here.

Source: Wikipedia, "Fontfroide Abbey"

What to look for

• The cloister - a large Cistercian cloister in ochre and pink sandstone.
• The abbey church - a plain, tall Cistercian interior.
• The terraced gardens - rose and formal planting up the hillside.
• The Fayet restoration - the private rescue that saved it from dismantling.

When to go

April to June and September to October; roses peak in May. The abbey opens year-round with reduced winter hours. Summer heat in the Corbieres is heavy.

Before you go

It is privately owned and ticket prices are commercial. Some rooms are only shown on guided visits. The setting is remote and needs a car.

Nearby

Narbonne lies northeast; Lagrasse is west.

Key facts