Aulps Abbey, Medieval abbey ruins in Saint-Jean-d'Aulps, France

Aulps Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in the French Alps with stone walls, vaults, and architectural fragments from the 12th century. The site preserves the basic layout of a working monastery, with areas that once served prayer, labor, and daily life.

Founded around 1094 by monks from Molesme under the bishop of Geneva, the abbey joined the Cistercian order in 1136. Its church was consecrated on 26 May 1212. French troops entered Savoy in 1792 and drove out the last monks; the abbey was suppressed in 1793. In 1823 villagers rebuilding their burned parish church used the abandoned monastery as a stone quarry.

The name Aulps comes from the Latin alpibus, "mountain pastures". The abbey held the relics of Guarinus of Sion, its second abbot, whose tomb stood in the nave and drew pilgrims. The gatehouse, built in the late 15th or early 16th century, sheltered the abbot's court and the distribution of alms.

The site is open daily from April to November with clear pathways and information boards throughout. Wear sturdy shoes as the ground is uneven, and bring layers since weather in the mountains can change quickly.

The abbey's wine was stored in three vaulted cellars facing south, fitted with a drainage and cleaning system. The wine, low in alcohol and short-lived, came from estates near Cluses, Thonon, Geneva and Salins. The mill, required by the Rule of St Benedict, ground wheat and beat hemp until 1694, fed by an underground masonry aqueduct still partly visible.