Arthous Abbey, Hastingues, France

Arthous Abbey (formerly known as the Abbey of St. Mary of Arthous) was founded in 1167 in a deserted area bordering the Basque Country. The abbey belongs to the Order of Premonsterians.

The abbey was badly damaged due to religious wars in the 16th century. In particular, the Huguenots burned the choir of the church and canonical buildings in 1571, and the archives were eradicated.

The abbey church was built in a late Romanesque style and its monastery buildings reconstructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are an interesting example of modern canonical architecture. The abbey ceased to exist completely in 1791 and was used as a farm. A dilapidated church served as a barn. Almost nothing remained of the original monastic buildings except for the foundations of the western and northern walls.

In 2021, the Arthous Abbey is celebrating its origins and its collections which gave birth to the museum. The exceptional sculptures of prehistoric horses discovered in the 1960s in the neighboring town of Sorde-l'Abbaye, of which it is the custodian, are the subject of a photographic exhibition and a new space for promotion: the treasure room.

References:

all-andorra.com

User Reviews

marc bonnan (2 years ago)
Informative and fun visit to this abbey to see with its sister Sordes abbey

Benoit Trevisi (2 years ago)
It is a small site which will take you 1 hour 30 minutes, a stone's throw from the A64 exit, a pretty abbey which has lost its cloister but which presents a coherent whole with the monks' accommodation and its outbuildings. A free visit with a coherent meaning and lots of information. The place is cool and relaxing, the church has been converted into a temporary exhibition room. A nice stop

Karine Lheritier (2 years ago)
An abbey with a very interesting history, guides who take us through their visits and very well done exhibitions even and especially for children with digital, manual and visual interaction

Andy Trumper (2 years ago)
Had a walk around the outside could not get inside as it was closed as it was a bank holiday which was weird

Véro Daluz (3 years ago)
An interesting place but I have not at all found the atmosphere that you think you can find in such a place. On the other hand a beautiful exhibition in the church, a little surprising.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

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The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

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