Fontfroide Abbey

The Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide is nestled in the foothills of the Corbières, southwest of Narbonne. Founded in 1093, Fontfroide, now classified as a Historic Monument and Great Site of Occitanie, spans centuries, eras and events, witnessing History for present and future generations.

Fontfroide Abbey was founded in 1093, on land given to a few Benedictine monks by the Viscount of Narbonne. The abbey takes its name from the nearby spring, the Fons Frigidus, the Fontaine Froide. In addition to water, the monks could find wood and stone in the massif for the construction of the monastery. But Fontfroide only really developed after 1145 and its attachment to the Order of Cîteaux . The Cistercian monks, under the direction of St Bernard of Clairvaux, wish to return to the purity of the rule of St Benedict, advocating poverty, austerity and architectural sobriety.

The abbey community will be made up of 80 monks and around 250 lay brothers. Thanks to numerous donations and land repurchase, the abbey will become one of the richest in Christianity, owning more than 20,000 hectares of land. At the request of the King of Aragon, Fontfroide spread into what is now Catalonia by founding the monastery of Poblet.

https://www.fontfroide.com/