Thoronet Abbey

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Sites > Abbeys > Thoronet Abbey      

Nearby:  | Les Arcs 28 km | Carcès 12 km | Cotignac 15 km | Entrecasteaux 15 km | Lorgues 12 km | Salernes 23 km | Le Thoronet 4 km |

Below: | Statues | Hiking | Lodging Hotels |

This is a fine old Cistercian abbey that's located in forested hills halfway between Draguignan and Brignoles, just below the Argens river. In spite of its isolated location, it's easy to get to: only 13 km northeast of the A8 autoroute and the N7 highway.

There's an entrance fee to visit, which allows you to roam freely inside or join a guided tour. The abbey is all stone, and includes a church, adjoining chapter house, dormitory and store room, and cloisters. The church is built of stone blocks, cut and assembled by hand, without the use of cement or mortar.

The abbey was started by Cistercian monks who moved here from the Mazan Abbey (after a stay in Florège River valley near Tourtour, about 20 km to the north) around 1140. The abbey buildings, church and cloisters were built in 1160-1190. In the 14th century, religious wars and politics resulted in the abbey being abandonded. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that the abbey started to be used again, and then during the French Revolution it was sold off and abandoned again.

In the 1850's, the state bought the abbey and began rebuilding it. The rebuilding has continued, slowly, until the present day.

Statues

One room of the abbey has a display of 25 to 30 painted statues, with a mixture of authentic ancient ones and replicas inspired by similar 15th-16th century styles, and all are beautiful. One "statue" is a complete creche scene. Another is a very unusual life-sized statue of Christ "Gisant" (lying on His back), made by a monk in the Bethlehem community. This is intended to depict Christ before He was put in the tomb, and symbolizes waiting for the resurrection and the passage to eternal life.

Hours, Numbers

Open, Summer: Mon-Sat: 9-19h; Sun: 9-12, 14-19h

Open, Winter: Mon-Sat: 10-13h, 14-17h; Sun: 9-12, 14-19h

Information - tel: (33) 494 60 43 90

Gregorian Chants

Every year during July and the first half of August

Hiking

The Abbaye du Thoronet is set in the Forêt de la Darboussière. The woods are pretty, but there are old bauxite mines scattered throughout the region. (Bauxite was first discovered in Les-Baux-de-Provence, about 120 km west of here.)
One hike starts out south of the abbey (on the parking-lot side of the road), loops around southeast through the forest, northeast to the village of Le Thoronet, northwest to Les Févriers and Les Camails, and then back south to the abbey.
If you take the trail north from the abbey, it's about 2 km to Camails and the Argens river. There you could take the opposite direction of the loop (described above), or there are many trails going both directions along the river valley. There are also several different trails going north through the hills and valleys, to Entrecasteaux and Salernes among other places.

Lodging - Hotels