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Monges (Les)

The Abbey of Monges is located in the western foothills of the massif de la Clape. The current wine-growing estate lies around the old church Notre-Dame-des-Olieux, relic of a Cistercian abbey founded in 1204. Jean Bistan, a bourgeois from Narbonne who made his fortune in maritime trade, donated the estate to the monks of Fontfroide on the condition that they establish a female Cistercian monastery. And thus it was. The women's abbey was quite prosperous, particularly during the XIIIth century, although the abbesses had to take refuge in Narbonne several times. They left the abbey for good in 1614. Sold as a national asset during the Revolution, it was then transformed into an agricultural building. Unique nave with a flat-ended chevet covered with a ribbed vault, only three bays of the original four remain. This church has been a listed building since 1951.