A few kilometers east of Lascaux, in the heart of Perigord, Saint-Amand-de-Coly has the picturesque and authentic charm of a small village sheltered in a valley dominated by the woods. Member of the demanding association of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, it nevertheless has a thousand-year-old jewel: its abbey! Its history began in the sixth century after the installation of monks leading a life of hermits, and whose disciples founded a first abbey. In these troubled times, monasteries do not escape conflict. The abbey is rebuilt and consolidated in the twelfth century. It is endowed with defensive elements which will not however prevent certain damages during the Hundred Years War then the wars of Religion. But important restoration campaigns for several decades have restored its luster to the abbey that blends into the village itself. It remains today a remarkable abbey church, whose materials, sarladaises stones and lauzes typical of the black Perigord, are already a marvel in themselves. Fortified, with a bell tower 30 meters high whose broken arch vault frames the door, it is a work at times defensive (place of refuge) and inviting by its sobriety to contemplation. Traces of frescoes have also been uncovered.
Further on, there are still the ramparts of the 14th and 15th centuries, the cloister and traces of the conventual buildings.
Classified, the church is visited every day for free from 9h to 19h. Audio guide available at the Tourist Office. For groups: 3 euros per adult. It is also possible to book a guided tour by a volunteer in July and August by contacting +33 6 08 87 93 27.
An interpretive trail has been created to apprehend the history of the places (church, cloister...), what to combine culture and pleasure to walk in a charming village and in the heart of a unique abbey. Information on +33 5 53 51 47 85.
