Psalmody Abbey, Monastic archaeological site in Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze, France.

Psalmody Abbey is a ruined Benedictine monastery near Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze, in the Camargue. The photograph shows a long stone building with a low-pitched roof of reddish tiles on its left section and a taller right section with vertical pilasters and a single dark doorway. Excavated ground with broken pale stone and earth lies in front.

Founded in the 7th century by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, Psalmody was built on a small rise above the marshes. It was sacked by a Saracen expedition in 725-726 and again raided in 908, then rebuilt from 1004. It was secularised in 1537 and burned in 1703 during the Camisard war.

The abbey's name comes from psalmody, the chanting of the Psalms that the Benedictine monks of Saint-Pierre de Psalmody performed daily. The community's cartulary, reconstituted in the 18th century by Noël Loys, a lawyer from Nîmes, records the donations that built its wealth; its oldest charters, presented as late 8th-century, are now recognised as forgeries.

The site is freely accessible but the terrain is marshy and requires sturdy footwear, especially in wetter seasons. There are minimal signs or facilities on the ground, so preparing beforehand or joining a guided visit helps you understand the scattered stone remains better.

Excavations from 1970 to 1988 revealed that the monastery operated two ports and actively participated in the region's salt trade. This economic activity made the abbey far more than a purely spiritual place, showing how it adapted to survive in marshland.