“Ora et labora”: prayer and work

Founded in the 7th century, this was one of the first Benedictine abbeys in Normandy. Its founder, Wandrille, a relation of the Carolingian kings, was a notable personality. A number of great abbots succeeded him, and the abbey became an important spiritual and intellectual centre. The current monastic community, which has been here since 1894, carries on this reputation through its publishing work, including the journal Gesta, and it has also developed other activities: microfilming, wood polish and painting restoration – all under the banner of the Ascendi Group.

Right on the village square, one enters the abbey through the lovely Pelican gate, which gives access to the forecourt surrounded by Maurist buildings, whose pediments are covered in Rococo-style decorations from the 18th century. They form the boundaries of the enclosure: the space set aside for the monks’ daily lives and activities. The vestiges of the mediaeval period include the remains of the 14th-century abbey church. The cloisters, with its admirable Flamboyant Gothic decorations has just regained its beauty thanks to a recent restoration.
The current church has been installed in a 13th-century barn that was moved and re-erected in 1969. It now houses the reliquary containing the remains of Saint Wandrille.