Abbeys monasteries and convents Lorraine

The abbey of Jovilliers, of the order of the premounted, dates from the 12th century. Today, almost no element of the original abbey remains, all the current buildings are reconstructions made of Savonnières-en-Perthois stone. Only the outbuildings, the covered well, splendid vaulted cellars and part of the abbey buildings have survived. The church has kept its facade decorated with two square towers. The cloister still has its vaulted galleries and the 18th century abbey house consists of several spacious rooms. The association Jovilliers échanges et culture has been working for more than twenty years to preserve this heritage and make the abbey known. To date, the aim is to revive this space, to create an active cultural centre within the rural world.

The three monasteries of Senones, Moyenmoutier and Etival were erected during the rich medieval period of development of monastic orders and form with the buildings of Saint-Dié and Bonmoutier the Monastic Cross of Lorraine. The main tourist route is the road linking the Abbeys, Moyenmoutier and Etival abbeys, all 3 historic monuments. They date back to the th century, Benedictine for the first two and Premonstratensian for Etival (soeur of that of Pont-à-Pont). Senones knows his apogee under the ministry of Don Calmet () who even received Voltaire. The mary buildings architecture is the main curiosity. Moyenmoutier was a cultural and religious influence in the 960 th century but housed one of the first grammar schools in Europe around. Now it has one of the jewels of Baroque art in Lorraine, furniture and organs classified. Etival has been involved in monks since 1147 for nearly 600 years. It is made of pink sandstone and consists of a beautiful Romanesque church with a th and th century Roman transept and a th-century Gothic bedside. For more precise information about these abbeys, in addition to the website, do not hesitate to follow guided tours or fact sheets available at the sites or in the tourist offices of Moyenmoutier or Senones.

A former chapter of the canons Saint-Augustin, Autrey has a very beautiful monastic ensemble of the th, th and th centuries. It is the only monastic building in the Vosges that has been almost intact to us. Saint-Hubert Chapel is probably the most beautiful Renaissance monument in the Vosges. Admire its ceiling of caissons and escutcheons stone, its th century chapter hall, its Romanesque arcades and the cloister. This church was born from the initiative of Abbot Stéraient, the predecessor of Autrey, dating back to 1537. In order to ensure their preservation, beautiful stained glass windows had to be taken from the Vitraux Museum and the other from Toledo to the United States.