Abbaye du Valasse

Gruchet-le-Valasse

The story of the abbey of Le Valasse begins in a storm. In 1149, Waleran IV of Meulan, a Norman count, saw his ship caught in a violent tempest off the coast of France. Convinced he was about to die, he vowed that if he survived he would found an abbey in honour of Our Lady. He survived, and kept his word: around 1150 the abbey of Le Valasse was born, soon taken up and developed by a figure of altogether greater power, the Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England and claimant to the throne, who installed there Cistercian monks from the abbey of Mortemer. The double vow – that of the count saved from the waters and that of the warrior empress – gave the abbey its other name, Notre-Dame-du-Vœu. After centuries of monastic life, then the revolutionary upheaval, the estate saw very varied uses, until it became, in the 2000s, a short-lived leisure park before closing for want of success. Since 1985, the commune of Gruchet-le-Valasse has watched over the site: park and gardens are now freely open to walkers, while the salons of the former abbot's lodging host seminars and receptions, perpetuating in a new form the vocation of hospitality that was once the monks' own.

Getting there : Near Bolbec, in the valley of the Lézarde (Seine-Maritime), park and gardens with free access

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

Ambient sound