Saint-Sever Abbey

Saint-Sever Abbey (abbaye de Saint-Sever) is a Benedictine monastery. It was founded at the end of the 10th century by William II Sánchez of Gascony.  According to the monastic chronicles, this was as the result of a vow he made after the battle of Taller, in Gascony, in which he defeated the Vikings (982). In 1060, after a fire, the abbey was reconstructed on the model of Cluny under the direction of the abbot Gregori de Montaner. The Saint-Sever Beatus was the work of monks working under the direction of the same abbot; Abbot Gregori held the post from 1028 to 1072.

The abbey church is a Romanesque building from the 12th century with seven apses. The abbey was listed by France as a historic monument in 1911 and in 1998 it and other sites were jointly designated as the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France World Heritage site.

Address
Place du Tour de Sol 7, Saint-Sever, France

Established
10th century AD