The best walks and hikes around Villars-En-Azois

Former Cistercian abbey from the 12th century, rebuilt in the 18th century then transformed into a prison in the 19th century by Napoleon. Consult the opening hours and visiting conditions: https://www.abbayedeclairvaux.com/

Former Cistercian abbey from the 12th century, rebuilt in the 18th century then transformed into a prison in the 19th century by Napoleon. Consult the visiting conditions: https://www.abbayedeclairvaux.com/

Founded in 1115 by Saint Bernard, Clairvaux Abbey became a prison in 1808. The abbey has seen centuries of history pass by. Located in the heart of humid Champagne, in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, this Cistercian complex with majestic buildings rises in the middle of an ocean of greenery.

Pilgrims of the Via Francigena can have their stamp card stamped here

It was in 1115, on the borders of Champagne and Burgundy, that the future Bernard of Clairvaux, accompanied by 12 monks from Cîteaux, came to clear a clearing in the Val d'Absinthe. Later a labor force, the great abbey of the "clear valley", formed the group of the four "major" daughters (first foundations) of Cîteaux. Planted with vines and animated by barns, forges and mills, it will be strong with hundreds of filiations throughout Europe, definitively imbued with Cistercian spirituality.

Clairvaux Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in the commune of Ville-sous-la-Ferté in the Aube department in France. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most important figures of the Cistercian order. The abbey was a center of religion, culture and politics in the Middle Ages and the mother of many other monasteries in Europe. The abbey was abolished in 1792 during the French Revolution and converted into a prison, which is still in use today. The abbey is located in a green valley and has an impressive architecture in Romanesque and Gothic style. The abbey is a historic monument and can be visited under a guide.

This neo-Gothic church was built in the 19th century to replace the old Romanesque church demolished in 1855. You can admire the stained glass windows and the organ which were donated by the family of Auguste Hériot, a famous businessman and politician. The church is also located in the village of Essoyes, where the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent many summers and painted some of his most famous works.

A fantastic place to enjoy the Ource River in Essoyes, a charming village in the Champagne region of France, where the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent his summers and painted many of his masterpieces.