Abbey of Sénanque

Abbey of Sénanque is in Gordes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France and is an active 12th-century Cistercian abbey in Provence, internationally known for its preserved Romanesque monastic architecture and continuing religious life.. Notre-Dame de Sénanque was founded on 23 June 1148 by a group of Cistercian monks from Mazan in the Ardèche.

The Romanesque abbey developed in the secluded Sénancole valley and survived periods of decline, disruption and restoration. The site is not only a heritage monument: a Cistercian community continues to live there under the Rule of St. Benedict and gathers for regular communal prayer. A restrained Romanesque Cistercian ensemble set in an isolated Provençal valley.

Religious life or devotional practice associated with the site includes Cistercian monastic prayer and liturgy of the hours. The abbey’s official site confirms that a Cistercian community still lives at Sénanque and gathers in the church seven times a day for prayer. That continuing use is important: the celebrated stone buildings are not simply a preserved medieval ensemble but the setting for an active monastic rhythm.