Visit Senanque Abbey

During your stay at Benvengudo Hotel, why not visit the Sénanque Abbey located less than 60km away from Les Baux-de-Provence.

The Abbaye de Sénanque is a Cistercian abbey near the village of Gordes in the département of the Vaucluse in Provence, France. It was founded in 1148 under the patronage of Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona, Count of Provence. The first community of impoverished Cistercian monks who came from Mazan Abbey in the Ardèche were housed in temporary huts. By 1152 the community already had so many members that Sénanque was able to found Chambons Abbey, in the diocese of Viviers.

The young community found patrons in the seigneurs of Simiane, whose support enabled them to build the abbey church, consecrated in 1178. Other structures at Sénanque followed, laid out according to the rule of Cîteaux Abbey, mother house of the Cistercians. Among its existing structures, there are several examples of Romanesque architecture. The abbey church, cloister, dormitory and chapter house are Romanesque. The small calefactory was one heated space in the austere surroundings, this was the monk’s scriptorium.

A refectory was added in the 17th century, when some minimal rebuilding of the existing walls was undertaken, but to this day the abbey is a remarkably untouched.

The abbey church is in the form of a tau cross with an apse projecting beyond the abbey’s outer walls. Somewhat unusually, its liturgical east end faces north, as the narrow and secluded valley offered no space for the conventional arrangement.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Sénanque reached its culmination, operating four mills, seven granges and possessing large estates in Provence. In 1509, the community at Sénanque had shrunk to about a dozen and during the French Wars of Religion the quarters for the lay brothers were destroyed and the abbey was ransacked by Huguenots.

At the French Revolution the abbey’s lands were nationalized, the one remaining monk was expelled and Sénanque itself was sold to a private individual.

Benvengudo Hotel

The Sénanque Abbey is an ideal place for people who want to explore the rich heritage and culture of Provence. It is an important cultural space that will deepen your understanding of the history of Provence.

Benvengudo Hotel is a 4 star luxury boutique hotel located in Les Baux-de-Provence. Set in an authentic Provencal country house, its idyllic location offers a perfect base from which to explore this remarkable region in the South of France.

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