World Heritage Identification Number: 165
World Heritage since: 1981
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇫🇷 France
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay: A Medieval Masterpiece of Architecture and Monasticism
The Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay, nestled in the picturesque countryside of Marmagne, France, stands as a testament to the architectural prowess and spiritual fervor of the Middle Ages. Founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, this remarkable monument has endured for nearly a millennium, offering a unique glimpse into the lives of the early Cistercian monks and their pursuit of self-sufficiency.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
This stark Burgundian monastery was founded by St Bernard in 1119. With its church, cloister, refectory, sleeping quarters, bakery and ironworks, it is an excellent illustration of the ideal of self-sufficiency as practised by the earliest communities of Cistercian monks.
Encyclopedia Record: Abbey of Fontenay
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.Additional Site Details
Area: 5.77 hectares
Coordinates: 47.63944 , 4.38911
Image
© Marc Ryckaert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
