Abbaye du Thoronet

Le Thoronet

Lost in the garrigue of the Var, the abbey of Le Thoronet is often presented as the absolute jewel of Cistercian architecture, so pure that Le Corbusier himself came to study its proportions before designing the convent of La Tourette. Founded in 1146 by monks from the abbey of Mazan, the community settled on this rocky, austere site around 1160, in keeping with Saint Bernard's ideal: far from the world, as close as possible to silence. Its history retains the singular figure of Abbot Fulk (Folquet), a former troubadour at the court of Provence who became a monk, then abbot of Le Thoronet, before ending as Bishop of Toulouse and a zealous agent of the crusade against the Cathars — Dante would place him in Paradise in his Divine Comedy. After centuries of neglect and plunder, the abbey fell into ruin until Prosper Mérimée, inspector of historic monuments, undertook its rescue in the 19th century. Restored today, it is renowned for the extraordinary acoustics of its abbey church, which still hosts Gregorian chant concerts, and for its trapezoidal cloister with its cleverly irregular proportions, following the slope of the ground. A hexagonal lavabo, where the monks came to wash their hands before going into the refectory, completes this ensemble of absolute sobriety which, eight centuries on, has become a worldwide reference for architects and lovers of silence.

Getting there : 15 km south-west of Lorgues, in the Var; open to visitors all year round, Gregorian chant concerts held regularly

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

Ambient sound