Aiguebelle Abbey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aiguebelle Abbey or Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Aiguebelle is a Cistercian monastery founded by Morimond Abbey in 1137, situated in the communes of Montjoyer and Réauville in the département of Drôme, on the borders of the Dauphiné and of Provence, France.

The monks were dispersed when the abbey was dissolved in the French Revolution but from 1815 the community was revived by the Trappists (Cistercians of the Strict Order), who are still here.

Since 1815, the abbey has been responsible for the foundation of several other monasteries: Notre-Dame-des-Neiges (Ardèche); Staoueli, later Atlas (at Tibhirine in Algeria, now re-settled at Midelt in Morocco); and the monasteries at Désert (Haute-Garonne); Acey (Jura); Dombes (Ain); Bonnecombe (Aveyron); and Koutaba in Cameroon.

Despite some demolitions and a great deal of restoration work, the abbey has kept the majority of its medieval buildings: the church, cloisters, sacristy, chapter house, refectory, kitchen and the lay-brothers' quarters. It is one of the only two Cistercian monastery premises in France - the other is the former Fontfroide Abbey - still to have the original passage of the lay-brothers, by which they were enabled to move round the abbey between their quarters, their places of work and their part of the church without disturbing the monks.