Abbaye de Caunes-Minervois, Benedictine abbey in Caunes-Minervois, France.
The monastery features a pre-Romanesque chevet, an ornate abbey church, and structures that incorporate the famous red marble from local quarries.
Founded in the 13th century, this religious complex expanded through centuries, integrating architectural elements from Carolingian to Maurist periods.
The abbey maintains its religious significance while serving as an exhibition space for contemporary artists and hosting classical music performances.
Visitors can explore the medieval architecture, ancient crypt, and 12th-century cloister through guided tours available in multiple languages.
The red marble extracted from nearby quarries adorns both the abbey and prestigious buildings like the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre.
Location: Caunes-Minervois
Architectural style: Romanesque architecture
Website: https://abbayedecaunes.fr
GPS coordinates: 43.32606,2.52722
Latest update: July 9, 2025 19:35
The region around Carcassonne features an area marked by medieval and Cathar history, with castles, abbeys, and old villages. The Cité of Carcassonne displays its city walls restored in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, while the Canal du Midi has traversed the region for 240 kilometers since the 17th century. The castles of Quéribus and Peyrepertuse overlook the landscape from their rocky spurs at over 700 meters above sea level, serving as the last strongholds of the Cathar resistance in the 13th century. Villages like Minerve and Lagrasse showcase medieval architecture, with narrow streets, ancient bridges, and Benedictine abbeys. The region also includes the four Lastours castles aligned along a ridge, the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Mirepoix with its 22-meter-wide Gothic nave, and natural sites like Lake Cavayère. These monuments and landscapes form a representative ensemble of the south of France’s historical and natural heritage, accessible from Carcassonne.
Carrière de marbre gris de Caunes-Minervois
1.6 km
Allée couverte de Saint-Eugène
3.2 km
Church of Notre-Dame-du-Cros in Caunes-Minervois
1.7 km
Carrière du Roi
1.6 km
Abbatiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Caunes-Minervois
15 m
Château de Citou
6 km
Hôtel d'Alibert
127 m
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Lauze
6.1 km
Tour du Portail Neuf
6.2 km
Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Laure-Minervois
6 km
Hôtel de Sicard
115 m
Chapelle Saint-Jean de Citou
5.3 km
Grande fontaine
189 m
Chapelle du Crucifix de Caunes-Minervois
379 m
Maison Étienne Vidal
173 m
Maison de la truffe d'Occitanie
5.3 km
Tour du Bas
6.1 km
Hôtel de Tapié
160 m
Dolmen de Roquetrucade
1.7 km
Windmill Benazeth
6 km
Église Saint-Pierre-es-Liens de Villarlong
6.3 km
Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Citou
5.8 km
Monument à la République
5.4 km
Foyer des Campagnes
5.1 km
Église de la Transfiguration-de-Jésus-Christ de Peyriac-Minervois
5 km
Laure-Minervois war memorial
6 km
Ensemble marbrier du moulin de Biot
3.4 km
Les capitelles de Laure-Minervois
6.1 kmReviews
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