3691 - Abbaye du Thoronet: The Church


The Abbaye du Thoronet is the third of the “Three Sisters”. It’s not in use any more and most of the outbuildings are already in ruins.

You reach the abbey on a small street. To the left is a big parking area with a small café (very welcome afterwards), and the abbey itself is on the right side. You follow a short, cobbled road through oak trees leading down to the gate.

There you pay the entrance fee, and then you can either go to the right and up to the humble main entrance of the church (depicted here), or you go down through some ruins and into the cloister. Church and cloister have been beautifully restored.

Everything is empty though. We know that mediaeval churches were colorfully painted, but nothing is left of that. Again it’s all naked architecture, only that the stone here has a beautiful red tinge.