Former priory of Benedictine nuns, Saint-André de Lavaudieu abbey, in Haute-Loire, is now open to visitors. Currently owned by the town, it was erected in the 12th century, revealing a church in a remarkable Romanesque style.
Classified and listed as a Historic Monument, Saint-André Abbey still reveals to its visitors today an 11th century church, a 12th century cloister and a more recent refectory. If part of the octagonal bell tower of the church was truncated during the Revolution, the building still reveals beautiful decorative elements.
It's hard to resist the historiated capitals of the cloister, the frescoes of the refectory or even the gardens.
