Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Abbey of La Celle, located in the Var en Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, is a medieval Romanesque architectural complex classified as a historical monument since 1886. This site, occupied from the Iron Age (IIst centuries BC), housed a Roman villa in the 2nd century, transformed into a farm until the 6th century. In the 11th century, a double monastery (men and women) was founded there under the authority of the Saint-Victor Abbey of Marseille, with two churches: Sainte-Perpetue for monks and Sainte-Marie for nuns.

In the 13th century, the priory welcomed women of high nobility, including Garsende de Sabran, Countess of Provence, who took the veil there in 1225. The monastery, in permanent conflict with Saint-Victor, saw its community decline until its extinction in the seventeenth century after a reform imposed by Mazarin in 1660. Sold as a national property in 1792, the site became a farm before being restored and opened to the public in 2016.

Archaeological excavations revealed Gallo-Roman remains (oven, press) and medieval elements such as a 13th century sarcophagus or an ogival capitular hall. The cloister of nuns, partially reconstituted in 2021, and the three-hectare Provencal garden complete this set. Today owned by the Var department, the abbey also houses a luxury hostelry and a wine space dedicated to AOC Coteaux Varois wines.

Among the personalities related to the site are Marcel Cervin, a prior who became pope in 1555 (Marcel II), and troubadours like Elias de Barjols. Charles de Gaulle stayed there to write his Memoirs. The monument illustrates the evolution of female monasticism in Provence, between religious power, conflicts and architectural adaptations throughout the centuries.

Recent restorations have made it possible to highlight elements such as the mosaic of the villa of Pere or a relief of Medusa in bronze, exhibited at the inauguration VILLAE in 2021. Since 2024, the abbey also hosts the Festival Présence Compositatrices, combining heritage and contemporary creation.

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