Jumieges Abbey

Jumieges was founded in 654 and rebuilt in the eleventh century, consecrated in 1067 in William the Conqueror's presence, becoming one of the great Benedictine houses of Normandy. The Revolution closed it, and it was sold to a timber merchant who used it as a stone quarry, blowing up the lantern tower and selling the material; what he left is the shell. Two western towers of about forty-six metres still stand, the nave walls survive to their full height without a roof, and the whole ruin is in pale limestone against grass, which is why nineteenth-century writers called it the most beautiful ruin in France.

History

In 654 Clovis II of Neustria, at the urging of his wife Balthild, gave forest land from the royal estates to Philibert, a former courtier, who founded the abbey here, and under its second abbot Aichardus it grew to around 900 monks. From 788 Charlemagne held the deposed Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria and his son Theodo prisoner in the abbey. In 841 Vikings pillaged and burned it, and the monks took refuge first at Saint-Riquier and then at Haspres, which remained a dependent priory after they returned, until 1025 (Wikipedia, Jumièges Abbey).

What to look for

• The twin west towers - forty-six metre towers standing complete.
• The roofless nave - eleventh-century walls at full height, open to the sky.
• The Saint-Pierre church - earlier Carolingian fabric beside the main abbey.
• The Seine loop setting - the ruin among the river's meanders.

When to go

April to October; the site is open year-round but the grounds are the point and need decent weather. Early morning and evening light on the pale stone is best.

Before you go

This is a ruin with no roof and little interpretation on site. Access without a car is difficult. The Seine loops make the drive from Rouen longer than the distance suggests.

Nearby

Rouen lies east; the Seine abbey route runs along the valley.

Key facts