NOTRE-DAME ABBEY

This Benedictine abbey was founded in 1132, at a time when Bernard de Clairvaux was supporting Pope Innocent II, who had taken refuge in France. Étienne de Senlis, bishop of Paris, gave the foundation his protection, and Hildegarde de Senlis became its first abbess. Over the following centuries, forty-four abbesses succeeded each other. The abbey comprised a ^16th-century wing, ^17th-century additions and a handsome ^18th-century main building. You can still admire the dormitory's fine oak framework and the ^16th-century refectory door.