Abbaye de Bellerive, abbey in Collonge-Bellerive, Switzerland

The abbaye de Bellerive is a former Cistercian nunnery located near the shore of Lake Geneva in Collonge-Bellerive, Switzerland. Its remains consist of plain stone walls, a partly hidden crypt, and scattered ruins now overgrown with trees and plants.

The abbey was founded around 1150 and is first mentioned in a papal bull from 1184. After being plundered in 1530 during the Reformation, it was abandoned, and the remains were largely destroyed around 1670.

For centuries this was a place where Cistercian nuns lived a simple life of prayer and silence, as seen in the small windows and unadorned stonework. Today the ruins sit quietly near the lake, and the nearby village still treats the site as a marker of its long local identity.

Visitors can walk among the old stones at their own pace, since there are no official facilities on site. Wearing sturdy shoes and staying aware of uneven ground under fallen leaves will make the visit easier.

Inside the crypt, a stone figure that looks like a knight in armor lies on a slab, holding a sword and shield. A local legend also tells of a menhir discovered nearby and later set up as a marker on an alleged line of mystical energy.