JOURNEES EUROPEENNES DU PATRIMOINE « PATRIMOINE EN DANGER »

About

European Heritage Days at Bonnefont Abbey!

We strongly advise you to sign up for visits and workshops.

Saturday :

2pm to 4pm / "Dry stone walls" workshop During this workshop, you will learn the basics of building a dry stone wall, its aesthetic and ecological advantages, and the materials and tools required. After the theory, you'll be given the opportunity to put it into practice.

3pm and 4pm / Airbrush discovery workshop with Atomk (from age 12). Discover the art of painting with air! The airbrush is a tool that sprays paint using a stream of compressed air, allowing you to create gradations and precise details. During this introductory workshop, you'll learn how it works, master the essential gestures and leave with one of your own creations.

4pm / Historical guided tour of the abbey. Plunge into the heart of history with Bonnefont Abbey, a majestic Cistercian abbey founded in 1136. Today, only a few vestiges remain, but they still bear the echo of a past grandeur. During your visit, you'll discover how the abbey functioned, the role of the various buildings and, above all, the monks' daily lives, punctuated by work, prayer and perfectly regulated organisation. After several centuries of expansion and influence, the abbey went into slow decline, until the French Revolution and the dramatic sale of the Biens Nationaux. Why was Bonnefont dismantled? How was it destroyed? Let us guide you through the incredible and fascinating history of Bonnefont, a human, spiritual and heritage adventure that continues to fascinate to this day.

5pm / Guided tour of the medieval garden Discover the secrets of a medieval monastic garden, a place of peace and knowledge where monks grew medicinal, aromatic and vegetable plants. On this guided tour, explore the ingenious organisation of this symbolic and utilitarian garden, and immerse yourself in a world where each plant had its place, its function and sometimes even its spiritual virtue. A timeless interlude to understand how nature, work and spirituality intertwined at the heart of monastic life.

Sunday

9.30 am / Deep Time Walk with Aude Larmet. From age 10 / 7 km. A guided walk through 4.6 billion years of the Earth's life. Each step represents 500,000 years in the life of our planet. A sensitive and fun way to discover the history of life.

2pm / Historical guided tour of the abbey. Plunge into the heart of history with Bonnefont Abbey, a majestic Cistercian abbey founded in 1136. Today, only a few vestiges remain, but they still bear the echo of a past grandeur. During your visit, you'll discover how the abbey functioned, the role of the various buildings and, above all, the monks' daily lives, punctuated by work, prayer and perfectly regulated organisation. After several centuries of expansion and influence, the abbey went into slow decline, until the French Revolution and the dramatic sale of the Biens Nationaux. Why was Bonnefont dismantled? How was it destroyed? Let us guide you through the incredible and fascinating history of Bonnefont, a human, spiritual and heritage adventure that continues to fascinate to this day.

3pm / Themed visit to the garden "Wild and delicate lettuces" Take a stroll and discover the wild lettuces that cover our paths and meadows. This outing invites you to recognise these edible plants, understand their habitat, their virtues and how to pick them with respect. A tasty and sensitive walk, to rediscover nature… leaf by leaf.

4pm / Presentation of the dispersed heritage of Bonnefont Abbey

5pm / Guided tour of the medieval garden. Discover the secrets of a monastic garden from the Middle Ages, a place of peace and knowledge where monks grew medicinal, aromatic and vegetable plants. On this guided tour, explore the ingenious organisation of this symbolic and utilitarian garden, and immerse yourself in a world where each plant had its place, its function and sometimes even its spiritual virtue. A timeless interlude to understand how nature, work and spirituality intertwined at the heart of monastic life.