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France

New Aquitaine

Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes

Discover
Places to see

France

New Aquitaine

Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes

Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes

Recommended by 10 road cyclists

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    Location: New Aquitaine, France

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    Best Road Cycling Rides to Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes

    4.2

    (5)

    120

    riders

    1. Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes – View of the Charente River loop from Louzac-Saint-André

    56.6km

    02:20

    270m

    Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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    Intermediate

    76

    riders

    2. Château de Taillebourg – Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes loop from Miclos

    39.0km

    01:38

    270m

    Easy road ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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    Easy

    3.5

    (2)

    63

    riders

    3. Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes loop from Le Grand Coudret

    26.5km

    01:07

    180m

    Easy road ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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    Easy

    Tips

    September 20, 2023

    A former Benedictine abbey created in 1047, Abbaye-aux-Dames was the first women's monastery in Saintonge. These powerful women were nuns, that is to say, nuns living cloistered and having taken a vow of piety, occupying their lives in contemplation. They carried the crosier, in other words the pastoral staff of a bishop, and minted coins. Richly endowed, the abbey carried its influence well beyond the borders of the county and over time it became one of the most powerful women's monasteries in all of South-West France. With up to a hundred nuns at its peak, it was entrusted with the mission of instructing young girls, often from the French nobility, and counted among its most illustrious residents the future Marquise de Montespan, favorite of Louis XIV.

    The Abbaye-aux-Dames is structured around the Sainte-Marie church, built in the 12th century, famous for its facade and its characteristic “pine cone” bell tower.

    The premises were restored during the 1970s and 1980s and now house a Cité de la musique in which the Saintes Festival dedicated to classical music takes place each year.

    You can also stay in a wing of the building, the cells having been converted into hotel rooms, and leave your bike in a secure room.

    Translated by Google •

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      Elevation 30 m

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      Wednesday 17 September

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      Location: New Aquitaine, France

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