Senanque Abbey

Three Cistercian abbeys called the Three Sisters of Provence were founded in the 12th century: Senanque Abbey, Thoronet Abbey and Silvacane Abbey. Founded in 1148, Senanque was the first of the Three Provençal Sisters.

Drive (or hike) north out of the fabulous stone village of Gordes, in this land of bories. The little D177 road, which the GR6 hiking trail follows, passes along a high, rocky ridge , and part of the beautiful view is down into the deep Senancole valley where the abbey sits (photo above).

Stretching out from the abbey buildings is a valley of lavender fields, which are in full flower and fragrance during the summer, and harvested July-Aug. (In 1999, the lavender was mostly cut by the 19th of July.)

The Cistercian order at the abbey flourished until the 16th century, getting wealthier and wealthier, in contradiction to the Benedictine rule of poverty. In 1544, the Vaudois heretics revolted and their first target was Sénanque. The monks were hanged and many of the buildings were destroyed.

The abbey struggled to recover for the next three centuries, changing hands several times during the historical upheavals of the period, such as the French Revolution. By 1989, the abbey was again an active monastery.

The Church

The church is aligned to the north, instead of the east, because of the limited width of the valley in which is sits. Like its sister abbey in Thoronet, the Senanque Abbey church has no main entrance door; the church was only for the monks and lay brothers, not the public.

The Dormitory

The Monk's dormitory of Senanque Abbey is on the upper level of the north side, between the entry and the church. It was built as a continuation of the transept in the church.

The dormitory could house about 30 monks. The space for each monk is marked out by colored paving stones on the dormitory floor

The Cloister

The cloister forms an enclosed courtyard in the center of the Abbey, surrounded by the cloister aisles on all four sides. The cloister aisles are the passages between the church, the dormitory and other parts of the Abbey.

The 12th-century Abbey was built with a fountain in the northwest corner of the cloister. It was destroyed during the Wars of Religion, but the vaulting scars remain [Photo-14] and the small stone basin marks the spot.

Chapter House

The Senanque Abbey chapter house opens off the north cloister aisle. This is where the monks met every morning to study the Benedictine Rule, and is the only place in the Abbey where they were allowed to speak. Issues concerning life in the monastery were also discussed here.

Stone benches are integrated into the chapter room for the monks, while the Abbot stands in the center to read the day's chapter from Saint Benedict's rules. In the cloister aisle facing the doorway is a "tarasque", a sculpted devil, looking into the room [Photo-18]. (A Tarasque Legend is described on the Tarascon page.)