Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Maillezais

Maillezais

Founded in the 10th century by a duke of Aquitaine, this Benedictine abbey undertook in the 12th century the building of a Romanesque abbey church regarded as one of the jewels of that art in Poitou — barrel vaults, richly carved capitals, a great rose window. Raised to the rank of cathedral in the 13th century, it became an intellectual centre of the Renaissance: Bishop Geoffroy d'Estissac welcomed here for five years a young monk by the name of François Rabelais, who would abandon the ecclesiastical habit here before embarking on his career as a writer. Turned into a fortress during the Wars of Religion, it was governed by the Protestant military leader Agrippa d'Aubigné, who radically fortified its buildings — before repeated assaults brought about its final ruin. Sold as national property at the Revolution, its stones served as a quarry for more than a century before it was listed as a historic monument in 1924. Right beside it stands the parish church of Saint-Nicolas, also Romanesque, of the 12th and 14th centuries.

Getting there : Admission charge

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

Ambient sound