Abbaye de Bonnecombe

Comps-la-Grand-Ville

Founded in 1162 by Raymond V, count of Rouergue, and Hugues, bishop of Rodez, the abbey of Bonnecombe built itself a reputation as a fortress both spiritual and defensive: its massive, square Saint-Bernard tower was raised in the midst of the Hundred Years' War to protect the community from the bands of routiers then ravaging the Rouergue. The monks lived there for nearly eight centuries, through the Wars of Religion and the Revolution, before a sign of modern times got the better of the place's vocation: in 1965, for want of sufficient recruits, the last Trappist monks left Bonnecombe for good. The site then had a surprisingly eventful fate for an abbey withdrawn from the world — housing in turn an Orthodox community, then a rehabilitation centre, then various religious communities, before being left entirely unoccupied in 2017. Since then, its 12th-century buildings — choir, side chapels and transept vaults — have stood silent amid the pastures of the Lévézou, watched over only by the remains of their lookout tower, while a Baroque altarpiece of 1660, once installed in the abbey church, now adorns the church of the neighbouring village of Comps.

Getting there : Commune of Comps-la-Grand-Ville, Aveyron, in the Lévézou; exteriors visible from the surrounding paths, interior not accessible

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

Ambient sound