A couple of weeks ago I posted Part 1 of Abbey Road where I described the beginnings of Fontenay, the gorgeous Cistercian abbey located deep in rural Burgundy. For those who missed that post, I talked about how moved I was by the utter simplicity of the architecture and the beautiful contemporary landscaping that provides a perfect setting for the ancient buildings. Today I'd like to talk about the architecture in a little more detail.
Despite having been used as a paper mill for over 100 years,
nearly all of Fontenay’s original buildings remain intact; only the refectory
has been lost to time. The chapel and cloister, chapterhouse, scriptorum, dormitory,
forge, infirmary, dovecote, visitor's chapel and abbot’s house have all been restored and most of the buildings are open to the public.
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| The church is located along the right side of the property. At right angles to it is the chapter house and scriptorium with the monks' dormitory above. The forge is the long rectangular building located along the left side of the property. |
