Abbaye de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue

Ginals

In the hollow of the green valley of the Seye, the abbey church of Beaulieu raises one of the purest Gothic church interiors of the Cistercian Midi. Tradition attributes the monastery's foundation to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in person, passing through the region — no original document confirms it, but the legend says much about the prestige of the place. What is certain is that the community already existed in 1151, when Pierre Génès, from the neighbouring village of Parisot, gave land "to the brothers of Beaulieu"; the abbey moved within the Cistercian orbit in 1183 and was officially affiliated to the order in 1197. Showered with gifts by the feudal families of the Rouergue, it enjoyed in the 13th century a golden age that allowed it to rebuild church and monastic buildings in elegant sobriety. Then came the misfortunes: in 1562, during the Wars of Religion, cloister and conventual buildings were burned and partly demolished; the monks fled in 1592 and did not return until the early 17th century, the commendatory abbots gradually restoring the place. Sold as national property in 1791, the abbey declined slowly until, in 1960, two enlightened art lovers, Pierre Brache and Geneviève Bonnefoi, saved it from ruin, restored it and from 1972 made it a centre for contemporary art. Handed over to the Centre des monuments nationaux in 1974, Beaulieu today marries the lyrical abstraction of the 20th century with the white light of the Cistercians.

Getting there : Valley of the Seye, away from the village of Ginals, on the D33 between Verfeil-sur-Seye and Parisot; car park on site. Monument managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, open in season.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound