Royaumont Abbey

Royaumont Abbey tickets: which one to buy

Royaumont Abbey stands in the valley of the Oise at Asnières-sur-Oise, in the Val-d'Oise department about thirty-five kilometres north of Paris, and a ticket is required to visit. It is the largest Cistercian abbey in the Île-de-France region, founded by a king, and it is today run by the Royaumont Foundation, a cultural centre that organises concerts, residencies for musicians and dancers, and seminars. Visitors can explore the cloister, the monks' refectory, the ruins of the abbey church, the kitchens and the gardens, including a vegetable garden inspired by medieval planting.

Trains from Paris Gare du Nord go to Viarmes or Luzarches, and a shuttle or taxi covers the last kilometres; driving is easier. Visitors often combine the abbey with the Château de Chantilly and its Condé Museum, about fifteen minutes away, and the Château d'Écouen, home of the National Museum of the Renaissance. Royaumont is a quiet, green place, popular with Parisians at weekends. A café serves light meals, and picnics are possible in the park. Guided tours explain the abbey's history and architecture.

Visiting Royaumont Abbey: what to see

The abbey was founded in 1228 by the young King Louis IX, later Saint Louis, fulfilling the wish of his father Louis VIII, and it was built quickly in the Gothic style. The king visited often, took part in the monks' work and chose the abbey church as a burial place for several members of his family. The abbey prospered for centuries, but during the French Revolution it was sold as national property, and the new owner, the Marquis de Travanet, demolished the huge abbey church and turned the buildings into a cotton mill. Only a corner tower of the church and some foundations survive, and they show how vast it was.

In the nineteenth century the abbey became a convent again, and in the twentieth century it was bought by the Goüin family, who created the foundation. The cloister, one of the largest in France, surrounds a garden. The refectory, a long Gothic hall with slender columns and vaults, is used for concerts and holds a tomb. The canal built by the monks still flows beneath the buildings, where a large wheel once powered the mill, and the Palace of the Abbots, a neoclassical building from the eighteenth century, stands nearby. During the First World War the abbey was a hospital run by Scottish women doctors.

Royaumont Abbey opening hours and the best time to go

The abbey is open daily for most of the year, with shorter hours in winter, and it may close for private events. The concert season runs mainly from late spring to autumn, with the Royaumont Festival bringing weekend concerts of early and contemporary music in September and October. The gardens are at their best from May to September. Spring and autumn are pleasant for walks in the Oise valley. Allow about two hours for the abbey and gardens, and combine it with Chantilly for a full day.