From 11 November 2025 to 2 April 2026: open daily from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm – self-guided tours only or private guided tours by booking.
From 3 April to 1 November 2026: open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Located in northern Burgundy, Fontenay Abbey was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, one of France’s greatest saints, and is the oldest surviving Cistercian abbey in the world.
Listed as a French historic monument in 1862, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. It was one of the first French monuments to feature on this list, which recognised the exceptional value of both the Fontenay abbey complex and its natural surroundings.
Following the French Revolution, which led to the monks’ departure, the site was converted into an industrial building, a move which helped to preserve the entire complex of Romanesque-style buildings: the abbey church, the monks’ dormitory, the cloister, the chapter house, the monks’ hall and the smithy.Following the French Revolution, which led to the monks’ departure, the site was converted into an industrial building, a move which helped to preserve the entire complex of Romanesque-style buildings: the abbey church, the monks’ dormitory, the cloister, the chapter house, the monks’ hall and the smithy.
The Abbey is set within a landscaped park which was designated a ‘Remarkable Garden’ in 2004 by the National Council of Parks and Gardens. It is nestled in a fully preserved valley stretching over 1,200 hectares.
Since 1820, the Abbey has been the private property of the same family, who continue to preserve this exceptional site by opening it to visitors all year round. It welcomes over 100,000 visitors each year, who come to admire the beauty and purity of architecture preserved for 900 years, and to savour the tranquillity of a deeply spiritual place.
The tour includes most of the convent buildings, the gardens and the stone museum. It ends in the bookshop.
