FONTENAY ABBEY

Fontenay Abbey is a place of peace and serenity. Founded in 1118 by Abbot Bernard de Clairvaux, it is the oldest preserved Cistercian abbey in the world. Today, the cloister, chapter house, abbey church, dormitory and forge are still in perfect condition. We owe this extraordinary preservation to the family who have owned it for two centuries. The Montgolfier and Aynard families, who have succeeded each other at the head of the family, have been keen to protect this rare religious heritage since 1820, the year they bought the property. In 1981, for example, they were instrumental in having the abbey listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and opened it to visitors.

In 1996, the gardens were completely redesigned by English landscape architect Peter Holmes, creating a green setting in the heart of Fontenay's medieval architecture. In all, 9 gardens set between the abbey's various buildings cover some 2 hectares. These modern formal gardens also feature walkways to encourage reflection in this former Mecca of Cistercian spirituality. The presence of an immense 40-metre-high plane tree, planted in 1780 in the center of the abbey courtyard, forms the nerve center around which the current Grands Jardins are structured. It's as if today's landscape were the direct heir to the gardens the ^18th-century monks walked. In 2004, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication awarded the abbey the "Remarkable Garden" label for the beauty of this natural space. Since 2022, the abbey has been pursuing this link between past and present with the creation of the Jardin des Simples. Designed by landscape architect Olivier Damée, this green space is directly inspired by the ideas of medieval botanist Hildegarde de Bingen. As you stroll along its paths, you'll discover dyeing, medicinal and cooking plants. This journey into the daily life of ^12th-century monks also leads you to question Hildegarde de Bingen's theory, which saw the world as a fragile balance between man and nature. By mastering plants and their virtues, we heal the body, then the soul, bringing us closer to God. More than just a garden, this calm, rejuvenating and verdant space is a formidable educational tool for understanding the philosophical questioning of the ^12th century.