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Valsaintes

Notre-Dame de Valsaintes was founded by the Morimond affiliated Cistercian Order and its construction dates back to the late XIth century. Around 1180, the lord of Simiane, Bertrand Raimbaud, donated the seigneurie of Boulinette to the Abbey of Silvacane. 12 Cistercian monks settled in this Sacred Valley, the Vallis Sancta, to cultivate and maintain the woods alongside their glassmaking activity. Age-old religious and cultural foundations lie under the site of Boulinette, one of 3 major sites in this sacred valley. It dates back to Palaeolithic times: various materials have been discovered along with the remains of a Gallo-Roman building, a medieval castrum and an ancient Celtic sanctuary dedicated to the sun God Belenos, from which Boulinette derives its name. This place was modified several times before becoming an abbey around 1660. The new abbey church was consecrated in May 1672 and the monks lived here until the French Revolution in 1790. After the Revolution, the buildings were used as a farmhouse, stables and a sheepfold, which led to the deterioration of the abbey church and the whole structure in general. The association ATHRE purchased and entirely restored the property, creating a rose-garden, which has become an 8000m2 ecological garden. A multipurpose hall is also under construction. The garden can be visited from April to October.