Frigolet Abbey, Premonstratensian abbey in Tarascon, France

Frigolet Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery in a wooded valley of the Montagnette, in the commune of Tarascon. Its long church has pale stone walls, a terracotta-tiled pitched roof and a row of tall round-arched windows; a slender tower with pointed upper sections and a cross rises at one end, and lower tiled buildings with a small domed tower adjoin it. The abbey church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and Saint Joseph, encloses the 12th-century Romanesque chapel of Notre-Dame du Bon Remède.

Frigolet was founded around 960 by Conrad I of Burgundy with Benedictine monks from Montmajour Abbey. Canons regular were installed by the 12th century, and the community was suppressed in 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV. Hieronymites restored the derelict complex from 1647, followed by Discalced Augustinians in 1661; the French Revolution suppressed and sold it. Edmond Boulbon, a former Trappist, bought the buildings in 1858 and re-established Premonstratensian life, raised to an abbey in 1869. Expelled in 1880 and 1903, the canons returned in 1923.

The name Frigolet comes from ferigoulo, the Provençal word for thyme, which grows wild in the Montagnette. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Michael, and its 12th-century chapel of Our Lady of Good Remedy remained a pilgrimage site even after the canons left in 1480. Pope Pius IX authorised the crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Good Remedy on 31 August 1869, and the ceremony took place on 15 October; the statue of Saint Joseph was crowned on 29 September 1874.

Visitors can explore the outdoor areas daily, with guided tours typically available on Sunday afternoons in French. It's wise to check for religious celebrations, as church access may be limited on those days.

The name Frigolet comes from ferigoulo, the Provençal word for thyme, which grows on the slopes of the Montagnette around the abbey. The community today runs two monastic guesthouses, a bookshop and a restaurant on the site.