Origin from 1120
Le Thoronet Abbey, in the Var department of Provence, France, between Draguignan and Brignoles, is a Cistercian monastery whose monks, from the Abbey of Mazan, moved to the site around 1157 on land donated in 1140 by Raimond and Etienne des Baux, with construction of the monastery proper carried out between 1176 and 1200. It is grouped with Senanque and Silvacane abbeys as the Three Sisters of Provence and is often cited as one of the finest expressions of Cistercian architectural spirit, an austerity that later influenced the modern architect Le Corbusier. Its most notable abbot, the former troubadour Folquet de Marseille, took office in 1199 and was later given a place in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Restored and turned into a museum, Le Thoronet was classified as a French historical monument in 1840, among the earliest such designations in France, and the Sisters of Bethlehem have celebrated Sunday Mass in the abbey since 1978.
Facts
Status
Status TodayStanding, but maintained as a museum or heritage monument 1 Site
Type of SiteMonastery or monastic community 1 Origins
Origin Period Sources
1. Thoronet Abbey (Wikipedia)
Lead section: site type
Thoronet Abbey (French: L'abbaye du Thoronet) is a former Cistercian abbey built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century, now restored as a museum.
Lead section: practice status
Thoronet Abbey (French: L'abbaye du Thoronet) is a former Cistercian abbey built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century, now restored as a museum.
View the Source2. Le Thoronet Abbey (Wikipedia)
page categoriesQuote, page categories
Category:1120 establishments in Europe
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