Cruas Abbey

Cruas Abbey

YouTube player

A former Benedictine abbey

The Benedictine abbey of Sainte Marie de Cruas is thought to have been founded in 804. It stands on the banks of the River Crûle, close to the Rhône Valley, a major communication and trade route. The cloister and part of the monastic buildings were destroyed during the Wars of Religion. All that remains today is the abbey church.

The 11th century Romanesque church

The Romanesque church dates from the mid 11th – 12th centuries. It lies at the crossroads of early southern Romanesque art, with its Lombardy bands, and fully-constituted Romanesque art, with the capitals of the western bay. From the outside, the layering of volumes reflects the 3-nave plan and the interior elevations of the Romanesque church. The crypt and the raised heart. The chevet comprises an apse and two oriented chapels. They open onto a projecting transept surmounted by a cupola on trumpets. This church appears on the list of historic monuments drawn up by Prosper Mérimée in 1847. Several excavations have been carried out since the 1970s, revealing remains dating from before the 11th century.

Route to Cruas Abbey from Mas de la Fontenette

To sum up, Cruas Abbey is just over an hour from Mas de la Fontenette, a 4-star gite. You’ll love its heated swimming pool and wellness area in the Ardèche gorges at Labastide-de-Virac, near Vallon Pont d’Arc. Click on this link or on the image below for Googlemaps directions Mas de la Fontenette – Abbaye de Cruas.

Cruas Abbey (Ardèche) 2