The abbey of Saint-Avit-Sénieur is located in the town of the same name, in the Dordogne department, 16 km north-west of Monpazier.
There remains today an imposing abbey church listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Ways of Saint James.
Its history begins around 1060 when monks settled near the current village, near the tomb of Saint Avit (480-570) who had evangelized the region and had retired to Périgord where he would have performed several miracles.
The church was built in the 12th century on the foundations of a primitive building. Vast in size (55 m long), with a Romanesque style, from the outset it housed the relics of the saint, which gave rise to important pilgrimages. The convent buildings (cloister, chapter house, etc.) leaned on the walls of the church.
Although fortified and protected by powerful sovereigns over time, such as Henri III, Richard Coeur de Lion or Saint-Louis, the abbey and the church had to undergo the assaults of the Albigenses (13th century), sieges during the Hundred Years War (15th century) and finally significant damage during the Wars of Religion.
Attached to the chapter of the cathedral of Sarlat in 1685, its choir was replaced by a flat chevet and from that time on, the religious buildings were demolished. Only traces of it remain (architectural elements leaning on the church). Village dwellings have been partly built on the grounds of the monastery...
Listed as historical monuments since 1862, the abbey has been the subject of several restoration campaigns (19th and 20th centuries). In 2001, new stained glass windows were installed there. Medieval frescoes and furniture of interest have also been preserved. You can still admire its perfectly restored Byzantine-inspired cupolas.
Nowadays, free tours of the abbey are offered, a route in the form of a walk around the site of the abbey, with explanatory panels, guided tours (for groups only) and every evening in June in September, a musical illumination of the abbey church with image projections. Free access.
Information on +33 5 53 22 39 12.
