Abbaye Notre-Dame de la Grainetière, Benedictine abbey in Les Herbiers, France.
Abbaye Notre-Dame de la Grainetière is a Benedictine monastery with structures from the 12th century located in Vendée. The surviving cloister galleries, chapter house, and portions of the church display the Romanesque architectural style of the period.
The monastery was established in 1130 by monks from Fontdouce Abbey. Pope Lucius II granted the monks papal protection in 1144 for their settlement on an estate called Granataria.
The monastery remains a center of quiet devotion and craft work. Visitors can observe products made by the resident monks being sold in an on-site shop.
The grounds are open for visits throughout the week but not on Sunday mornings. The monastic shop selling handcrafted goods operates in the afternoon hours, roughly from 2 PM to 5:30 PM.
The abbey is preparing for its 900th anniversary with a major restoration initiative aimed at reviving the historical buildings. This project will reveal how the structures have evolved over the centuries.
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