Abbaye du Bon Sauveur (ancienne abbaye de Bégard)

Bégard

Founded between 1130 and 1135 by four monks from the abbey of L'Aumône, near Chartres, the abbey of Bégard was the very first Cistercian foundation in Brittany, nicknamed the "little Cîteaux of Armorica": it in turn founded five other Breton abbeys, including Boquen, Coatmalouen and Lanvaux. It held sway over more than a third of the parishes of the Trégor and collected the tithe with measures enlarged by 10% between 1660 and 1774. Sold at the Revolution and then ravaged by fire in 1896, the abbey church has almost entirely disappeared; only the abbot's lodging of 1748, restored in 1943, survives. Since 1857 the site has been occupied by the congregation of the Bon Sauveur of Caen, which developed a psychiatric hospital there, today the Fondation Bon Sauveur.

Getting there : Abbot's lodging visible from outside; guided tours offered by the tourist office

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

Ambient sound