L'Abbaye de Valmagne

Founded in 1139, this old abbey is sometimes known as "The Cathedral in the Vines" partly because it is in the middle of the vineyards but also because there are huge wine vats built in to the wall of the nave. It is this functional aspect that saved it from destruction in the Revolution.

The fourteenth century snactuary is in Gothic style and the whole is built around a beautiful cloister containing a natural source which makes a permanent fountain which the monks used to use for washing.