Founded in 1137, at the heart of a remote valley between Montélimar and Grignan, in the municipality of Montjoyer, Aiguebelle Abbey is as superb as ever. Its location at the confluence of three streams explains where its name comes from. Indeed, Aiguebelle means "beautiful waters". This isolation amid unspoilt countryside enabled it to stand the test of time, especially during the Hundred Years War. During the Revolution, the monks were driven away and the abbey was not revived until they returned in 1815.
Benefiting from a peaceful and verdant setting to this day, the Trappist monastery of Aiguebelle is one of the most spiritual places in Provençale Drôme. Lovers of religious heritage will be able to discover its abbey church, as well as an exhibition room and a video about the life of the community. A religious bookshop and a shop selling monastery products including cakes, chocolate, jam, cooked meats and confectionery are also open to the public.
| Opening times | Monday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Thursday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Friday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM • Sunday: 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM |
|---|
| Address | Le Couvent, Montjoyer |
|---|
| Telephone | +33 4 75 01 86 95 |
|---|
| Official site | www.abbaye-aiguebelle.cef.fr |
|---|
Cistercian abbey of the first half of the 12th century, Our Lady of Aiguebelle takes place near Montélimar, in the department of Drôme. Located in the communes of Montjoyer and Réauville, in the confines of the old Dauphiné, it is at the heart of a wooded valley, at nearly two hundred meters altitude.
Partly destroyed during the wars of religion in the sixteenth century, the building was taken over by Cistercian-Trappist monks in the early nineteenth century. At that time, the Notre-Dame Abbey of Aiguebelle develops many economic activities, starting with a flourishing chocolate factory.
Hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War, it was the place of production of false identity cards distributed to the STO refractory during the Second World War. The monks of the time also welcomed Jewish refugees in the annexes of the distillery. Since the early nineteenth century, the Abbey of Our Lady of Aiguebelle is the origin of the creation of several monasteries like Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Ardeche, Our Lady of the Atlas in Morocco, or Holy -Marie du Désert in Haute-Garonne.
Despite various destructions over the centuries, the abbey has retained most of its medieval buildings; the church, the cloister, the sacristy, the chapter, the monks' hall, the refectory, the kitchen, and the whole building of the convers. It is one of only two monasteries in France with the abbey of Fontfroide, to have kept the alley of the primitive converses.
In the middle of the lavender, on a calm site and conducive to the meditation, the brothers still propose a hotel service according to the principles of saint Benoît, as well as the possibility of making retreats of silence.
