Abbaye de Tamié

Plancherine

At 900 metres above sea level, at the top of the pass that bears its name, the abbey of Tamié owes its birth to a journey that was never completed. Its founder, Jean, first abbot of Bonnevaux in Dauphiné, had for a time abandoned the cloister to set off on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela – until, according to legend, Christ himself appeared to him in a dream, accompanied by Saint Peter and Saint James, to call him back to his monastic vocation. Returned to the religious life, Jean became in 1132 the founder of Tamié, before ending his days as Bishop of Valence. Like many Cistercian abbeys, Tamié suffered fires, famines and wars, then the revolutionary suppression of 1792, which left it half demolished. But unlike so many others, it was reborn: monastic life resumed there as early as 1861 under the strict rule of the Trappists, and has continued without interruption ever since. Today some twenty monks live there to a timetable set by prayer, work and silence – and by a renowned cheese dairy, which each day turns nearly four tonnes of raw milk into washed-rind tommes sold under the name Abbaye de Tamié. This small economic miracle, which funds most of the community's life, perpetuates in its own way the tradition of self-sufficiency so dear to Saint Bernard.

Getting there : Col de Tamié, commune of Plancherine, between Albertville and Annecy, Savoie; church and shop open to the public, guesthouse for retreats

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

Ambient sound