A sumptuous landscape

The first Trinity Church was founded by Roger de Beaumont in the late 11th century; at the time, it was a collegiate church served by English monks from Saint Frideswide’s in Oxford. Transferred in 1142 to the powerful Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, it became a priory with a dozen monks in residence. The Hundred Years’ War marked the beginning of the priory’s decline, which continued until the Revolution, when it was sold as a national asset. After playing host to industrial activities, focussed on textiles, its stones were sold in the 1850s and used to build some of the town’s bourgeois houses. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1916, it has been owned by the State since then, thus ensuring its preservation.

When arriving in Beaumont-le-Roger via the Route de Bernay, one can glimpse the ruins of the priory from afar; they proudly tower over the charming town traversed by the Risle, a freshwater river much appreciated by anglers.

Visitors must head towards Beaumontel to approach the site, whose massive buttresses rise high above the road. A monumental corridor, recently restored, enables one to climb onto the terrace, where the Gothic ruins of the priory church, rebuilt in the 13th century, stand tall. The calm and beauty of the site as well as the view of the Risle Valley and the town all make for a walk that can’t be missed.