Until its closure in 1793 this huge 12th-century complex was one of the largest ecclesiastical centres in Europe. The extensive grounds include a chapter room with murals of the Passion of Christ by Thomas Pot. And keep a look out for the multi-chimneyed, rocket-shaped kitchen , built entirely from stone to make it fireproof.
But the highlight is undoubtedly the massive, movingly simple abbey church , notable for its soaring pillars, Romanesque domes and the polychrome tombs of four illustrious Plantagenets.
They are: Henry II, King of England (r 1154–89); his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (who retired to Fontevraud following Henry’s death); their son Richard the Lionheart; and his brother King John’s wife, Isabelle of Angoulème.
Unusually, both nuns and monks at the abbey were governed by an abbess (generally a lady of noble birth retiring from public life). The abbey’s cloister is surrounded by dormitories, workrooms and prayer halls, as well as a spooky underground sewer system and a wonderful barrel-vaulted refectory , where the monks and nuns would eat in silence while being read the scriptures.
After the Revolution, the buildings became a prison, in use until 1963. Author Jean Gênet was imprisoned here for stealing, and later wrote Miracle de la Rose (1946) based on his experiences.
Agglobus line 1 from Saumur comes to Fontevraud.
