Abbaye de Balerne

Mont-sur-Monnet

Perched on the first plateau of the Jura, the abbey of Balerne was born at the very beginning of the 12th century when hermits settled in this remote little valley. Attached soon afterwards to the order of Cîteaux under Abbot Burchard, a close associate of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux himself, it became one of the Cistercian communities of the Jura, living from livestock, timber and the working of the surrounding land. Its history is marked by trials: in the 18th century a fire ravaged the church and all the conventual buildings, forcing the monks to rebuild a far more modest monastery. The Revolution dealt the final blow: sold as national property in 1793, the abbey was gradually dismantled. Today almost nothing remains of the walls that sheltered generations of white monks: the site is occupied by a farm building and a dwelling house, and only curious walkers, on their way to the famous Grotte de Balerne close by, can still make out in the lie of the land the imprint of the vanished monastery.

Getting there : About 10 km south-west of Champagnole by the road to Mont-sur-Monnet; walking trail linking the former site to the neighbouring cave

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

Ambient sound