Exceptional opening of the exteriors of an abbey rich in history and offering a breathtaking view of the Lot

Name: Exceptional opening of the exteriors of an abbey rich in history and offering a breathtaking view of the Lot
Start: 2023-09-16T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2023-09-17T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Abbaye de Clairac

The interior parts under construction are not visitable. Only the exteriors are visited.

16 and 17 September 2023Passed

Conditions

Free of charge. Free admission.

The interior parts under construction are not visitable. Only the exterior are visited.
Thank you for your understanding. In one of the most beautiful villages in France, on the Lot, is the Abbey of Clairac. A magnificent historic building with stunning views of the Lot. The abbey has a turbulent history that dates back to the Middle Ages. After having sheltered Benedictine monks for several centuries, it was given by King Henry IV to the chapter of Saint John Lateran (Rome).
“We found it, invaded by 19 years of vacancy, looted and vandalized. She captured our hearts, we fell in love instantly. With much love, she gradually regains her glory where she shines again as never before....
We warmly welcome you,”
Don and Brigitte van der Linden

About the location

Abbaye de Clairac

Place de l'église, 47320 Clairac

Lot-et-Garonne
Nouvelle-Aquitaine

The first mention of this Benedictine abbey dates from 1068\. It was one of the most important in Agenais, rich in income from the fertile Lot valley. The Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion made a large part of its buildings disappear; offered by Henri IV to Saint-Jean-de-lateran (Rome), it was raised after 1604 by the abbot Paolo Garganti; the monastic buildings no longer sheltered monks, and the abbey church became parish. In 1792, the last abbot was expelled when it became national property and then sold at auction. Privately owned, it housed the naval school in 1943 and 1944, and a museum of automatons in the late twentieth century. Restored in 2023 by its new owners, it now houses a cottage.