Abbaye de Fontaine-Jean

Saint-Maurice-sur-Aveyron

In the heart of the Gâtinais forest, at Saint-Maurice-sur-Aveyron, the abbey of Fontaine-Jean was born in 1124, founded by monks from the powerful abbey of Pontigny. Far from the main roads, the community lived there for centuries to the rhythm of farm and forest work, working the land and the woods of this remote corner of the Loiret. Like most Cistercian monasteries it declined even before the Revolution, then sank for good after being sold as national property. But nature and time have, paradoxically, preserved here remains of striking romantic beauty: the north arm of the transept of the church, pierced with its radiating chapels, still rises proudly among the trees, alongside a section of the choir wall and a 13th-century barn that bears witness to the monks' intense agricultural activity. Now protected as historic monuments, these mysterious ruins, overrun by vegetation, draw walkers and heritage lovers who come to savour, deep in the forest, the silent and slightly melancholy atmosphere of a great medieval monastery returned to nature.

Getting there : In the forest, near Saint-Maurice-sur-Aveyron, a few kilometres from Château-Renard, in the Gâtinais; waymarked walking trail

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

Ambient sound