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UNESCO World Heritage Site

Abbey of Fontenay

France · Europe

Abbey of Fontenay
Abbey of Fontenay. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

About

The Abbey of Fontenay is a former Cistercian abbey located in the commune of Marmagne, near Montbard, in the département of Côte-d'Or in France. It was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, and built in the Romanesque style. It is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in Europe, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

Of the original complex comprising church, dormitory, cloister, chapter house, caldarium, refectory, dovecote and the so-called "forge", all remain intact except the refectory and are well maintained. The Abbey of Fontenay, along with other Cistercian abbeys, forms a connecting link between Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

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