Abbaye de Planselve, Cistercian abbey in Gimont, France.
Abbaye de Planselve is a Cistercian monastery in Gimont with a monumental gateway and a long brick boundary wall enclosing the complex. Several working buildings remain, including two dovecotes next to the lay brothers' quarters, a grain storage building with multiple silos, a water mill, and a structure once used to store ice.
The monastery was founded in 1142 when Cistercian monks received land donated by Gerard du Brouilh and his family. The establishment of this abbey directly led to the creation of the nearby bastide town of Gimont, which was originally named Notre-Dame de Gimoun.
The name Planselve comes from "plan" (plain) and "selve" (forest), reflecting how monks chose this isolated wooded location. Walking through the site today shows how the community organized itself around water, agriculture, and self-sufficiency.
The site spreads across an open area that is straightforward to explore on foot, with clear paths connecting the different buildings. It is wise to allow adequate time to comfortably view all the structures and ancillary buildings at a leisurely pace.
Original charters and documents from the monastery's foundation through the 13th century are preserved in a regional archive. These historical records offer rare insight into the everyday operations and lives of those who inhabited such communities in medieval times.
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