You are here:
Abbeys > France > Midi-Pyrénées > Ginals > Beaulieu-en-Rouergue

Beaulieu-en-Rouergue

The abbey of Beaulieu-en-Rouergue (also called Belloc) was founded in 1144 in the charming Seye valley by Adhémar III, bishop of Rodez. For many centuries it was prosperous despite the trials and tribulations of the Albigensian Crusade, the Hundred years' war and the religious wars. In the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries, major embellishment works were carried out but the slackening in monastery discipline led to the decline of the abbey. Sold as a national asset during the Revolution, it was partly dismantled and transformed into a farm. Bought in 1960 by art lovers who, with the help of the State, saved it from ruin. The abbey underwent significant restoration work. These patrons of the arts donated the abbey to the Centre for National Monuments along with a significant collection of modern works of art that they had built up. Beaulieu-en-Rouergue has become the primary centre of contemporary art in the Midi-Pyrénées Region.