Royaumont Abbey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Royaumont Abbey is a Cistercian abbey, located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris, France.

It was built between 1228 and 1235 under the aegis of Louis IX. Several members of the French Royal family where entombed here (and not in Saint Denis Basilica), such as three children and two grandchildren of Louis IX.

The abbey was dissolved in 1791 after the French revolution and the stones were partly used to build a factory. However, the sacristy, cloister, and refectory remained intact.

In 1836 and 1838, respectively, two operas by German composer Friedrich von Flotow debuted at Royaumont—Sérafine and Le Comte de Saint-Mégrin.

In the early 20th century, the abbey was bought by the Goüin family and in 1964 they created the Royaumont foundation, the first private French cultural foundation. Today, the abbey is a tourist attraction and also serves as a cultural centre.

The abbey was used as a filming location for the Catholic boarding school in Jean Delannoy's Les amitiés particulières.

[edit] External links