Sénanque The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Sénanque

About twelve Cistercian monks from Mazan, in the Vivarais, founded Sénanque in 1148 in a narrow valley north of Gordes, with the support of Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and of the count of Provence. They finished the church and the monastery in the 1220s. The valley runs north and south, so the choir of the church faces north instead of east.

The abbey had lost its last monk by 1781 and was sold as national property in 1792. Cistercian monks settled there again in 1854 and bought the buildings in 1857. They were expelled in 1881 and in 1903, came back in 1926 and left for their mother house of Lérins in 1969. A community returned in 1988, and Sénanque is now a priory of Lérins. The monks live from their lavandin, their bees and their olive trees, and from the visits and the shop, and all their offices are open to the public.

• The abbey churchRomanesque and without ornament, its choir turned to the north by the shape of the valley.
• The cloister and the chapter houseBuildings of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, visited with the dormitory and the warming room.
• The lavenderThe fields of lavandin before the abbey, grown by the monks. Visitors may not walk in them.
• VisitingGuided tours are in French, and an app gives the visit in English. Modest dress is required.

• Via MagdalenaeThe Magdalene Way, seven daysDay VI, Sénanque and Avignon

About fifty minutes by road from Avignon.

• AvignonThe Palace of the Popes and Notre-Dame-des-Doms, about 19 miles as the crow flies
• ArlesSaint-Trophime, about 33 miles as the crow flies
• Saint-MaximinThe Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, about 47 miles as the crow flies
• Saintes-Maries-de-la-MerThe Church of the Saintes-Maries, about 50 miles as the crow flies