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Beauvais

Beauvais - Abbaye You might be surprised to find this group of buildings, arranged around a square courtyard, isolated in the middle of open fields. You will also discover the sober beauty of this typically Cistercian rural setting ? farm land, meadows and woodland sloping down to the Serein and the magnificent abbey of Pontigny. In Beauvais the stones reveal little of its past because so many changes have been made over the centuries. Nevertheless, written documents inform us that, in 1233, a sheep fold was built which, two years later, was to become the ?bello videre?, one of twenty barns belonging to the abbey of Pontigny. A feature of great importance are the original roof beams which have remained intact and are a perfect example of mediaeval roofing techniques. Used by lay monks, then by farmers, the barn was sold in 1791 to a local family who used it until 1995. Falling into disrepair and threatened with demolition, the property was sold by S.A.F.E.R. to a property trust who, in turn, transferred it on a long lease to the association Grange de Beauvais, who are restoring the buildings and putting them to good use. Nowadays, more than half the buildings have re-found a new lease of life. The great hall and the bakery have become a meeting place for the volunteers working on the restoration, members of the Grange de Beauvais and other interested groups.

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