CISTERCIAN ABBEY

Founded in 1136, the Cistercian abbey was built from 1151, and for more than a century! In 1477, a change of regime cancelled the monks' right to choose their abbot, who was henceforth appointed. From then on, the dormitory was converted into an apartment open to the outside, while the chapter room became a reception room. During the French Revolution, the abbey was sold as a national asset and used as a stone quarry. The wing was bought by a farmer, following which the scriptorium and the chapter room became a sheepfold, while the upstairs dwelling was converted into a barn. The church, however, remains a parish church. Finally, in 1970, the commune of Sylvanès bought the wing of the cloister that he occupied from the farmer. The abbey was renovated under the impetus of Father André Gouzes, from 1975, with the foundation of the Association of Friends of Sylvanès Abbey, which gave the building a cultural and spiritual dimension. Today, a visit to the abbey church allows one to appreciate the art of the monks who built the church with the chevet dating from 1151, whose play of light can be appreciated with its three axial windows, and the vast nave 44 m long, 14.50 m wide and 18 m high! Discover the new stained-glass windows by Jean-François Ferraton (2018), the cloister, the sacristy (now the bookshop), the chapter house and the 13th century scriptorium. The abbey is today a high place of art and dialogue between cultures. An international festival of sacred and world music takes place there in summer.