Abbey of Notre-Dame de Fontevraud

Robert continued his evangelical activity and left the construction of the new establishment under the direction of a prioress, Hersenda of Champagne (1060–1114). The Order of Fontevraud is characterised by the coexistence of double communities within its monasteries; they followed their own rule, inspired by the Rule of Saint Benedict. In 1106, the experiment received approval from the Holy See, which in 1113 granted the house the privilege of exemption. In 1115, Petronilla of Chemillé was appointed as the first abbess of Fontevraud, shortly before the death of the founder, who was buried here.

In its early days, the monastery consisted of a group of rudimentary huts, which did not prevent it from soon developing a complex organisation comprising the Grand-Moûtier for the female community; a second monastery (Saint-Jean de l’Habit) for the male community; a house for reformed women (Sainte-Marie-Madeleine); and another serving as a leper hospital (Saint-Lazare). The abbey church of Fontevraud began to be built very early, around 1105, thanks to the financial support of the comital house of Anjou. Pope Calixtus II consecrated its altar in 1119; the nave, covered with domes, was built later.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, an extensive building programme profoundly transformed most of the monastic complex. Between 1670 and 1704, Gabrielle de Rochechouart held the office of abbess, in a period of notable prosperity and influence. In the following years, the daughters of Louis XV were educated at the monastery. Between 1789 and 1791, the abbey was directly affected by the Revolution, resulting in the suppression of the Order, the abandonment of the monastery, and the looting of its buildings, at which time almost all its movable goods were lost.

The oldest part is the church, dating from the 12th century, a single-nave structure with a transept containing two apses. The chancel is surrounded by an ambulatory with three radiating chapels. On the south side stands the cloister, surrounded by the other monastic buildings, such as the chapter house and the refectory. These structures date from the 16th and 17th centuries. During the restoration, the medieval kitchen was recovered, a remarkable octagonal structure with small apses and a conical-shaped roof decorated with scale-like patterns.