The royal abbey of l'Epau

An emblematic monument in the Sarthe, the Royal Abbey of l'Épau is a true jewel in the crown of thirteenth century Cistercian architecture. Queen Berengaria of Navarre, widow of King Richard the Lionheart and Dowager Lady of Le Mans, whose fascinating story is so little and poorly known, was, thanks to the support of Louis IX, king of France, able to found this monastery which she wished to be her final resting place. Sadly, the construction of this Royal Abbey par excellence, begun in 1229, suffered from the death of the queen a year later.

The monks were driven out of it during the Revolution and the abbey was turned into a farm. After many vicissitudes it was purchased by the Sarthe Department in 1959. A vast restoration programme, which still continues, has given it a new lease of life by making it one of the main cultural centres in the Sarthe Department and the region...

Father Michel Niaussat, is a Cistercian monk, who knows the Abbey of l'Épau well. He was among the first to take part in the restoration and development of this outstanding part of the heritage of the Sarthe. Éditions Libra Diffusio, has published several of his works : Les Chemins d'errances (2007), Le Nobel et le Moine - Dialogues de notre temps (2009) with Professor Luc Montagnier, which met with great success, Solesmes 1010-2010 : La Paix bénédictine, an illustrated book on the thousandth anniversary of Solesmes Abbey, and, in 2013, Gianluca ou la liberté de penser.