Abbaye d'Écurey, Cistercian abbey in Montiers-sur-Saulx, France
Abbaye d'Écurey is a Cistercian monastery in Montiers-sur-Saulx with standing walls, roofs, decorated entrance, and curved structures spread across the site. A watering trough and an eighteenth-century farm building are also part of the complex, showing how monks managed the surrounding land.
The monastery was founded in 1144 by monks from Vaux Abbey and received backing from neighboring noble families. The buildings underwent several architectural transformations over the centuries before being converted into an ironworks in the 1800s.
The site reveals traces of its shift from religious community to ironworks in the 1800s, where skilled craftsmen produced decorative cast pieces. Walking through the buildings, you can sense how industrial production coexisted with the abbey's stone walls and layout.
The buildings and archaeological remains received official historical monument protection in 1993 and are carefully maintained. Today the site functions as a rural center focused on energy transition and green building practices, so some areas may have limited public access.
The site now hosts research projects on nettle cultivation and energy sustainability, an unexpected continuation of the location's craft heritage. These modern experiments show how historical places can find new purpose in contemporary discussions about environment and resources.
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