Abbaye d'Aulps

Saint-Jean-d'Aulps

Scattered Romanesque stones in the hollow of an Alpine valley, the memory of a monastic power now fallen silent.

Nestling at 800 metres above sea level in the valley of the Chablais, the abbey of Notre-Dame d'Aulps was founded around 1094 by Cistercian monks and became one of the most powerful religious houses in Savoy, controlling up to 30,000 hectares of land by the late 14th century. Sold as national property and largely dismantled at the French Revolution, it retains today only the remains of its abbey church and its cloister. Since 2007, the site has housed the "Domaine de Découverte de la vallée d'Aulps".

Getting there : Abbey church listed as a monument historique (historic monument) since 23 January 1908; remains of the cloister registered on 7 May 1942; site run since 2007 as the "Domaine de Découverte de la vallée d'Aulps", open to the public

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

Ambient sound