Flaran Abbey, Valence-sur-Baïse, France

Flaran Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located in Valence-sur-Baïse. The abbey was founded in 1151, as a daughter house of Escaladieu Abbey, at the confluence of the Auloue and Baïserivers, between the towns of Condom and Auch. The abbey was founded by Burgundian monks and today represents one of the best preserved abbeys in the south-west of France.

After its foundation, Flaran Abbey experienced rapid growth. In the middle of the 13th century, the abbey, jointly with Gerald V, Count of Armagnac, founded the fortified town of Valence-sur-Baïse on a hillside on the other side of the Baïse river.

The abbey did not escape the vicissitudes of history, beginning with the Hundred Years' War, which ended with the Plantagenet county of Gascony being realigned with France. Engulfed by fire during the French Wars of Religion, the abbey was restored by subsequent abbots, but was suppressed and sold off during the French Revolution.

In 1913, the Archaeological Society of Gers intervened so that the abbey would not end up in the architectural collection of George Grey Barnard that resulted in The Cloisters museum in New York City.

The site was purchased by the department of Gers in 1972 and underwent an intense restoration project; it is now the site of numerous cultural activities. The site houses a permanent exhibition on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St. James.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Mike Brown (12 months ago)
Avery beautiful site in the French countryside.

D Clarke (12 months ago)
Very interesting. The entrance fee was high for the size of the place but the works of art were set out like an exhibition and some effort had been made to make the gardens a good place to visit.

marie cavitte (13 months ago)
Great little abbaye to visit. You can visit the cloister, the monks' rooms, the kitchen.. all the rooms. Some of it has been redone but the chapel is very impressive in all its bareness. And the dorms have been invested by a private art collection which includes beautiful paintings by Monet, Renoir and Dali sculptures. Worth the visit! Only 5 euros.

Maxime Florent (15 months ago)
Nice Abbey with art exposition

Keith Swift (2 years ago)
Great art, lovely gardens, interesting buildings

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Arnie Papp

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