Lavaudieu and visit of the abbey

Lavaudieu "Vallée de Dieu" - Most Beautiful Villages of France - Land of Art and History

Mandatory detour for history buffs, the village also offers many curiosities to see that will satisfy the whole family. Between cobbled streets, winegrowers' houses and agricultural tools of yesteryear, Lavaudieu plunges its visitors into another era.

This village erected on the banks of the Senouire is built around an old Benedictine abbey, which houses the only preserved Romanesque cloister in Auvergne.

Lavaudieu abbey

It constitutes an exceptional architectural heritage: Romanesque church dedicated to Saint-André, the Romanesque cloister and the nuns' refectory

After having founded the Chaise-Dieu Abbey in 1043, Saint Robert decided in 1057 to establish a Benedictine monastery in the Sénouire valley, combining both a mild climate and a line with the mother abbey. Nuns lived in this monastery until the revolution.

The atmosphere is conducive to strolling through the alleys of the village and along the landscaped banks. The houses and vegetable gardens, huddled around the abbey, enhance this classified site.

Unmissable visits of the village