Abbey plan

The Vaucelles Abbey as it can be seen today remains an exceptional construction, not so much because of its dimensions, but also because of the quality of its renovation and its cultural influence.

The Vaucelles Abbey was founded in 1132 and the Monks'Quarters, which was started in 1145 and is 80 m long and 18,50 m wide is made of 4 different rooms : the scriptorium, the auditorium, the chapterhouse and the sacred passage. The small chapel was part of the church..

« A Cistercian abbey is above all a house of prayer and a refuge for virtues, but it is also a refuge for poverty, an influential moral center, as well as a center of material prosperity thanks to the improvement of the land, the result of hard work and the use of the best methods of cultivation. The Cistercian Order is indeed mainly agricultural as its history attests. The monks would choose to settle in the most hostile places such as deserted and barren valleys « ( Monseigneur Hautecoeur )

You can visit the abbey from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 to 12 am and from 2 to 5.30 pm. On Sundays and official holidays the abbey opens at 3 pm and closes at 6 pm. Free leaflets for the visit available in English.

The abbey is opened from March 15th to October 31st 2016.. It is closed on Mondays except in July and August.