Date and Time – 2025:06:02 16:20:55
My trip to France in June 2025 focused on visiting villages newly added to the “Most Beautiful Villages of France” list in 2024. Since these are new additions, there weren’t many, which made this a short, one-week trip. Even so, the itinerary turned out to be more demanding than expected, with travel spanning from Midi-Pyrénées to the Loire Valley and even Normandy.
The fourth village I’ll introduce is Fontevraud-l’Abbaye, located in the Loire region. While there are already a few villages in the Loire that have been selected as the most beautiful, I believe this is the only one chosen in recent years. It’s been about ten years since I last visited a “most beautiful village” in this region. Fontevraud-l’Abbaye is located near Saumur, but the surrounding area consists of vast forests and plains, making the journey feel much longer than it appears on a map.
As the name suggests, the village is centered around an abbey. The streets are lined with elegant, French-style houses typical of the Loire, but the abbey is undoubtedly the landmark of the village.
Interestingly, the abbey was used as a prison until after World War II, so its interior feels like a hollowed-out space, mostly empty. However, there were various exhibits inside. You might say the exterior is a monastery, while the interior functions more like a museum. The abbey once served as the burial site of the Plantagenet dynasty of England, and one of its highlights is the tomb of Richard the Lionheart, the famous crusader king. That alone might be the biggest draw. Without context, you might just think, “Oh, it’s the tomb of some important person,” but I happened to be reading Nanami Shiono’s The Story of the Crusades on the plane over, so discovering that connection made me genuinely excited.
Although you can find information about the village and the abbey’s history on-site, language barriers can be an issue, so I now use generative AI apps like ChatGPT to look things up on the spot. Thanks to that, I’ve been able to enjoy sightseeing even more.
For a detailed description of the village, please refer to the information below.
Fontevraud‑l’Abbaye is a charming and historically rich commune in Maine‑et‑Loire, western France. Nestled in the Loire Valley and part of the Loire‑Anjou‑Touraine regional park, it earned the prestigious “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” label in 2024, becoming the second in its department and fourth in the Pays de la Loire region (Région Pays de la Loire, ウィキペディア). Its centerpiece is the magnificent 12th‑century Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, once the largest monastic complex in Europe, resting place of Plantagenet royalty, later a prison, and now a cultural and artistic hub (ウィキペディア).
🌟 Key Features of the Village
- Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
- Founded in 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel as a double monastery (women and men under an abbess) (ウィキペディア).
- Burial site of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart, with beautifully painted effigies in the nave (ウィキペディア).
- Architectural marvel: one of medieval Europe’s largest abbeys, following the Saint‑Gall plan, featuring Romanesque nave vaulting, Gothic chapels, cloisters, kitchens, and chapter house (Tuljak! Travel Blog).
- Historic monument & UNESCO site
- Abbey classified as a French monument historique since 1840, UNESCO World Heritage in 2000 (ウィキペディア, Loire Lovers).
- Served as a prison (1804–1963), then reborn as a cultural center and museum, with a modern art venue opened in 2021 showcasing works by Toulouse‑Lautrec, Degas, Derain, and others (The Good Life France).
- Village heritage & layout
- Quaint stone and tuffeau‑built village with flower‑lined lanes, public improvements, medieval Chapels (Saint‑Catherine, Notre‑Dame‑de‑Pitié, Église Saint‑Michel), and priory ruins (ウィキペディア).
- Rural commune of ~15 km², elevation 37–114 m, part of Saumur‑Val‑de‑Loire intercommunality, demonym: Fontevristes (ウィキペディア).
- Cultural and visitor experience
- On-site hotel‑restaurant housed in the former Prieuré Saint‑Lazare (Saint‑Lazarus priory), converted by renowned designers, offering serene medieval ambiance (Architectural Digest, ウィキペディア).
- Dining and lodging options at Domaine de Mestré, plus local artisans (e.g., Savonnerie Martin de Candre), rooted in pilgrimage history (les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org).
- Scenic and regional appeal
- Situated on streams flowing into the Loire; lies at the meeting point of Anjou, Poitou, and Touraine regions (de.wikipedia.org, les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org).
- Neighbors other scenic gems like Montsoreau (also a “Plus Beaux Villages”) only 5 km away, creating a compelling Loire‑Valley itinerary (anjou-tourisme.com).
Fontevraud‑l’Abbaye seamlessly blends deep royal and monastic heritage with serene village charm and modern cultural vitality—making it an unmistakable highlight of the Loire region.
