Clairvaux Abbey

Ville-sous-la-Ferté, France

Clairvaux Abbey (Clara Vallis) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 kilometres from Bar-sur-Aube. The original building, founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux, is now in ruins; the bulk of the present structure dates from 1708. Clairvaux Abbey was a good example of the general layout of a Cistercian monastery.

From 1808 to 2023, the grounds were occupied by Clairvaux Prison, a high-security prison. As of 2024, it is in the process of being transferred to new ownership as a site oriented toward tourism.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Rue de L’Abbaye 17, Ville-sous-la-Ferté, France

See all sites in Ville-sous-la-Ferté

Details

Founded: 1115
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ian Hepple (7 months ago)
Such a wonderful historic site and well worth calling in.

Evita Ēdere (8 months ago)
Sad that excursion is only in French

Angie Ng (8 months ago)
I was so happy that I could reserve tickets for the next day by emailing the office. The guided tour was in French, but we received some written information in English. Also, our tour guide Albam made sure that we knew we could ask him questions in English. Albam was very helpful throughout the informative tour.

L Llp (2 years ago)
Super interesting visit, great guide. The evolution, both historical and architectural, from medieval monastery to modern day prison (the prison just closed in 2023) is fascinating and unique. Guided visit, good to reserve by phone if possible, or loop by off the highway

Lex Professio (5 years ago)
great historical site, and today also a rare insight into ancient French prisons. Very impressive!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.