Abbaye Notre-Dame de Léoncel

Léoncel

In the hollow of a valley of the Vercors, at 900 metres above sea level, the abbey of Notre-Dame de Léoncel was founded in 1137 by Cistercian monks from Bonnevaux. As early as 1142, a bull of Pope Innocent II placed it under his protection, and in 1178 Frederick Barbarossa confirmed its possessions. The abbey church, consecrated in 1188 by the archbishop of Vienne, marries the Provençal Romanesque robustness of the choir, vaulted in the Provençal manner, with the pre-Gothic rib vaults of the five bays of the nave, beneath a two-storey bell tower of Alpine type; the building campaigns ended around 1230. The monastery then went through its trials: plundering by mercenary bands in the mid-14th century, the ravages of Raymond de Turenne in 1389–1390, occupation and destruction by the Huguenots in 1568, then the regime of commendatory abbots from 1681. The community was suppressed in 1777 and the last monks left around 1790, the abbey church becoming the parish church. Listed as a historic monument as early as 1840, on Prosper Mérimée's list, it now hosts concerts and exhibitions, and an eremitical presence was re-established here in 1974 and renewed in 2018.

Getting there : The village, 26190 Léoncel; church open daily from 8.30 am to 8 pm, free admission (contribution towards upkeep welcome); coach access possible, self-guided or guided visits.

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

Ambient sound