Abbaye de Dalon

Sainte-Trie

Founded in 1114 by the hermit Géraud de Salles under the Benedictine Rule, the abbey of Dalon did not join the order of Cîteaux until 1162, but it was already sending out so many offshoots that people soon spoke of a veritable "order of Dalon", so numerous were its daughter houses across the Limousin and Périgord. Its most famous story comes down to one name: Bertran de Born, the scandalous troubadour and lord of the neighbouring castle of Hautefort, a familiar of courts and wars, chose to end his days here. Worn out by a life as a knight-poet, spent in intrigues and biting verses against the powerful of his day, he withdrew to Dalon, took the habit and died there around 1215, leaving behind him one of the most celebrated bodies of poetry of the Occitan Middle Ages. The abbey then slowly declined and disappeared at the Revolution, like so many others. Yet its stones are not entirely lost: as early as the 17th century, the monks' building, the chapter house and two transept chapels had been incorporated into a manor house that still stands on the site, a private property where, between inhabited walls, the discreet traces survive of monastic life and of the retreat of a troubadour turned monk.

Getting there : Not far from Hautefort, in Périgord (Dordogne); exterior visit depending on the owner's availability

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

Ambient sound