Abbaye de Talloires

Talloires-Montmin

On the shore of Lake Annecy, this Benedictine priory, founded by a donation of 1018 from King Rudolph III of Burgundy, had witnessed a notable episode two centuries earlier: in 866, the Carolingian king Lothair II, great-grandson of Charlemagne, repudiated here his first wife Theutberga, who was compelled to reside here until her death. Raised to the rank of royal abbey in 1674, it then became the first hotel-restaurant on the shores of the lake as early as 1862, a conversion that continues today — the medieval priory still welcomes guests eight centuries after its founding monks, having received over the years visitors as varied as Cézanne, Fauré, Churchill and Nixon.

Getting there : Private hotel establishment, grounds sometimes visible from outside

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

Ambient sound