Day 12-- Loire Valley region
Fontevraud Abbey , Loire Valley
The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye.
The King of England, Henry II, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and son, King Richard the Lionheart were all buried here at the end of the 12th century.
It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preacher Robert of Arbrissel. The foundation flourished and became the center of a new monastic Order, the Order of Fontevrault.
The first permanent structures were built between 1110 and 1119.The area where the Abbey is located was then part of what is sometimes referred to as the Angevin Empire.
It was disestablished as a monastery during the French Revolution.
Wendy Baker PhotographyEuropeFranceTravelPlacesabbeyancientarchitecturebasilicabellcapitalcathedralchurchcitydayfaithlandmarkmedievalprayerreligionsaintsitesteeplestonetourismtouristictowervintagemiddle agesFontevraud AbbeyKingQueenLoire Valley
