The Abbey of Maillezais
This Benedictine abbey, once the burial place of the dukes of Aquitaine, was built in 1003 on an island in the Golfe des Pictons and is architecturally unlike any other in Poitou Saintonge. Men of letters and artists found a welcome there, among them François Rabelais in 1518. During the Wars of Religion, Agrippa d’Aubigné made it a stronghold of Protestantism. On the abbey’s esplanade, visitors wonder at the imposing remains of the cathedral and the seven halls of its associated monastic buildings that are well-preserved, such as the kitchen, refectories, cellar and the salt store.
Cultural activities:
- Abbeys Festival (classical and sacred music).
- New for 2007 :
Tours of the abbey including the dramatic spectacle: «Les Compagnons Bâtisseurs» five times a week during the summer and every Tuesday evening except the 7th of August ;
«Les Visites Insolites» twice weekly, in French and English. Open wide the doors of your imagination and let the marshes and the abbey ruins tell the fantastic and turbulent story of this extraordinary site. - «Lueurs de Pierres» , new trail every Tuesdays during Summer except en 7th August 2007.
- Great night show : «Maillezais, Lumière du Marais» , on 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th August 2007.
Opening times:
From October to May: daily from 9.30 to 12.30 am and from 1.30 to 6.00 pm
From June to September: daily from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm
Closed the last three weeks in January
Admission:
Adult: 5 €
Concessions (students, disabled persons, unemployed): 3 €
Free for children under 18
ABBAYE DE MAILLEZAIS
Abbayes du Sud Vendée
85420 MAILLEZAIS
tél. 02 51 87 22 80 - fax 02 51 87 22 81
abbayes-sudvendee@cg85.fr
www.vendee.fr
