Abbaye de Boschaud, Cistercian abbey ruins in Villars, France.
Abbaye de Boschaud is a Cistercian abbey in the Périgord region with partially preserved stone walls and vaulted structures. The ruins display the characteristic clean lines and functional design typical of Cistercian architecture.
Founded in 1145 by Géraud de Salles on the site of an earlier hermitage, the abbey joined the Cistercian order on 20 January 1163. It was sacked in the 14th century and suffered in the Hundred Years' War. Sold in 1791, it served as a barn, dwelling and quarry until being classified as a monument historique in 1950.
The name Boschaud derives from the Latin boscum cavum, meaning cleared or hollowed wood, echoed by the family Boschaud de Brie. Since the 2010s the association Festivillars has used the ruins for exhibitions and concerts.
The ruins stand in a clearing in the woods about 2 km west of Villars, reached by a small road that leaves the D 98 just outside the village and follows a dry valley for 1.5 km. The site lies on a ridge at roughly 175 m, and the ground is grass and uneven stone, so wear suitable shoes. The abbey is cared for by the Club du Vieux Manoir.
The abbey stands on a ridge about 175 m above sea level, in a clearing of the woods between Villars and Quinsac, and is reached by a lane climbing a dry valley. Unusually for a Cistercian house, it was built away from any watercourse and supplied only by wells. Its white rudist limestone had to be sawn by hand in distant quarries and hauled here.
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