Abbey of Saint-Évroult

Ruins of an ancient Benedictine abbey, founded in the 6th century by Saint Évroult, a nobleman who became a monk. Saint-Évroult Abbey was a center of learning and culture in the Middle Ages, but it was destroyed during the French Revolution.

You can still admire the remains of the Gothic church, the cloister and the abbot's house, as well as the view of the pond and the forest. The abbey also has an interpretation center which tells its history and presents some archaeological discoveries, such as a beautiful 12th century rose window. You can also spend the night in the gîte set up in the abbot's former home. Saint-Évroult Abbey is a place where you can immerse yourself in the past and appreciate the beauty of nature.

The poetry of ruins…

Time stands still in this quiet village in the Pays d’Ouche. On the small square, the wide Gothic arcades of the gatehouse are open. Past the porch, lie the remains of the old 13th century abbey church below. Of this long building of around a hundred meters, there remain elevated parts of the porch and the transept, as well as the bases of the walls and columns of the nave which perfectly outline the plan. The open perspective on the large pond to the east, the light and the tranquility of the place give an intense charm to the walk.
Founded in the 7th century by Evroult, a notable close to Merovingian power, Notre-Dame-du-Bois experienced a brilliant renaissance in the 11th century with the arrival of monks from Bec then Jumièges and the assistance of two Norman families.
An intellectual and artistic center, its scriptorium was one of the most famous in Normandy. This era is marked by the stay of exceptional personalities, such as Lanfranc, prior of Bec Abbey, but especially Orderic Vital, famous historian of the Norman church.
Having become very rich, the abbey underwent a period of great reconstruction in the 13th century, of which the current ruins are testimony. You can now rediscover the atmosphere and charm of this abbey by staying at the stopover gite set up in the former abbey home.
source: abbayes-normandie.com/groupes/tours-operateurs/abbaye-de-saint-evroult-notre-dame-du-bois