ANIAN ABBEY

Founded in 782 by Saint Benedict, the monastery at Aniane suffered extensive damage during the Wars of Religion. In 1633, it was rebuilt by the Saint-Maur congregation, but the French Revolution put an end to its monastic activity. Transformed into a spinning mill, then a central prison in 1845, the abbey became a penal colony for minors in 1885. After its closure in 1998, the site was abandoned, until the town council purchased the abbey in 2010. Since then, excavations carried out by the CNRS have contributed to its preservation and enhancement.