Bonmont cistercian abbey, Cistercian monastery in Chéserex, Switzerland
Bonmont is a stone abbey near Chéserex in Vaud canton that displays Romanesque and Cistercian architectural elements from the 12th century. The complex includes a church, monks' living quarters, and working buildings arranged around a central courtyard.
The abbey was founded in 1101 and grew into one of the wealthiest religious establishments in the Lake Geneva region under the protection of the House of Savoy. It developed into an important center for agriculture and crafts in the area.
The abbey shows how religious communities organized their daily life, with spaces for prayer, work, and shared meals that visitors can still explore today. You can see where monks spent their time between religious services and manual labor in different parts of the complex.
You can reach the abbey via Route de Bonmont in Chéserex where guided tours explain the architecture and monastic history. It helps to wear comfortable shoes and allow time to explore the different buildings and grounds.
The church structure survived the Protestant Reformation of 1536 and was later used as a storage facility for farm products before becoming a National Monument in 1942. This unusual journey shows how the building passed through different phases of Swiss history.
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