The day started with a visit of one of the must-sees in this part of the Loire Valley, the spectacular Romanesque UNESCO classified Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud. Richard the Lionheart and his parents Eleonore of Aquitaine and Henry II are buried here.
L’ Abbey Royale de Fontevraud in Fontevraud
The abbey and the monastic order “Order Fontevraud” was founded by a preacher in 1101. The order was recognized as a religious community by the Bishop of Angers. It was a unique order as it was a double monastery: there were nuns and monks following the same rules. The French revolution put an end to the monastery. Luckily, for a long time the buildings served as prison and that saved the monastery from dilapidation.
Still today the monastery is of high historic
relevance: we visited to the tombs of the Plantagenêts who like no
others shaped Frances’ history: The union of Henry II, Duke of Anjou,
later the king of England and most powerful ruler of the Middle Ages,
married Eleonor of Aquitaine, herself one of the most powerful women of
her time. Because of this union large parts of France came under English
rule – for wine lovers: Bordeaux and the Loire Valley were English for
300 years. Henry II, his wife and their two sons Richard Lionheart and
John Lackland and daughter-in-law Isabella of Angoulême are
buried here.
tripsavy.com (Mary Anne Evans)
... One of the must-sees in this part of the Loire Valley is the spectacular Romanesque collection of buildings around the UNESCO classified Abbey of Fontevraud. Just a 20-minute drive from Saumur, it’s the largest collection of medieval abbey buildings in Europe.Fontevraud was founded in the early 12th century as both a monastery and a nunnery run by an abbess which was a pretty unusual arrangement. The 12th-century buildings originally housed the nuns and monks and also the sick, the lepers and prostitutes who had given up their profession. From 1804 to 1963 it was a prison, set up by Napoleon.
Today you can see the cloisters, the chapter house with its 16th-century murals, and the huge refectory which served as the dining room. There’s an ambitious arts programme, so walk through the various buildings to see paintings both old and new, videos and sculpture. You can also walk past the kitchen garden which is growing different and old varieties of fruit and vegetables.
The main building is the abbey church, a vast, high cavernous space filled with light. At one end lie the tombstone effigies of the Plantagenet royal family, testimony to the bond between England and France.
You see the remarkably life-like Henry II, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy and King of England II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful and influential women of her time who died here in 1152 having become a nun, their son Richard the Lionheart and daughter-in-law Isabelle of Angoulême, Richard’s queen. There’s a good programme of concerts and shows throughout the year.
If you want to savor the peace and quiet after the visitors have gone and have a great and unusual hotel, book at Fontevraud l’Hôtel in what was once the St-Lazaire priory. It has been spectacularly converted with the former monastic cells making up the 54 guest rooms in different parts of the priory.
The design is clean and contemporary making extensive use of beautifully designed wooden furniture. There’s a strong sense of peace and tranquillity and you get a good night’s sleep from the quiet location – and the bespoke mattresses.
The dining room follows the simple, but infinitely sophisticated feel. Opening onto the cloister and extending into the chapter house, there's banquette seating around the walls while some tables look through the glass wall into the cloister.
The attention to detail is impressive; even the ceramics are specially commissioned from Charles Hair, a Franco-American ceramist who lives nearby. The cooking is superb from young Thibaut Ruggeri, using local ingredients from the region and the area. The Ibar has a great innovation – tables which are touch screens showing the history of the Abbey which is great for children.
Fontevraud le Restaurant - 365thingsIloveaboutfrance.com
365thingsIloveaboutfrance.com: While flipping through my Food & Wine magazine in Colorado, I came across an article entitled The Ten Best New Restaurants in France. Much to my delight, one of the restaurants happened to be situated directly on our planned cycling route. Too good to be true, I knew it was meant to be. I decided to splurge and booked a table for two at Fontevraud le Restaurant, in the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud not far from Saumur.
Located in the cloister, and one time prison, of Europe’s largest abbey, young chef, Thibaut Ruggeri, (only 34-years-old), and winner of the 2013 Bocuse d’Or (an international gastronomic competition), serves up extremely stunning haute cuisine in an intimate and peaceful setting. The tables surround a courtyard filled with fresh and colorful herbs where the very kind and attentive wait staff trim and pick fresh ingredients for each course.
No doubt about it, Chef Ruggeri is an artist. Visually his plates are exquisite. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such beautiful and creative plating. Our dinner was like an edible trip to a fine modern art museum. In addition to the freshly picked herbs, the chef uses local ingredients, like honey from the abbey’s bees and mushrooms grown in the limestone caves surrounding the abbey. While not every plate was a homerun on the palate and flavor sometime took a back seat to art, it was an unforgettable evening.
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