Abbaye Saint-Florentin de Bonneval

Bonneval

On the banks of the Loir, in the gentle medieval town of Bonneval nicknamed the "little Venice of the Beauce", stands one of the oldest monastic foundations of the Beauce: the abbey of Saint-Florentin, established in 857 by the knight Foulques under the protection of Charles of Provence, grandson of Charlemagne. The abbey owes its present name to a marvellous episode: during the translation of the relics of Saints Florentin and Hilaire, martyred in Burgundy, so many miracles are said to have occurred along the route of the procession that the monastery, until then dedicated to Peter and Marcellinus, adopted their patronage. Ravaged by the Normans in 911, protected by Louis VI the Fat in 1110, plundered by the English troops of Henry V in 1420 and then by the Huguenots in 1568, the abbey underwent a slow restoration under the Congregation of Saint-Maur in the 17th century. What survives today is a powerful fortified porch tower, remains of the cloister and a chapter house, set within the precincts of the present Henri-Ey psychiatric hospital — a singular fate for a place that was, for centuries, a renowned centre of pilgrimage for the cures attributed to Saint Florentin. To stroll today along the ramparts and the nearby covered market is to rediscover the atmosphere of a forgotten monastic Beauce, between running water, honey-coloured stone and Carolingian memory.

Getting there : Town of Bonneval; surroundings and medieval covered market freely accessible; former cloister can be visited during the Heritage Days (the site is now the Henri-Ey psychiatric hospital)

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

Ambient sound