Abbeys, Monasteries and Priories in the Sarthe

Monastery
72200 La Flèche

The monastery of the Visitation of La Flèche, founded in the middle of the seventeenth century in the Sarthe, is a former visiting convent maintaining its original claustral buildings (1651) and a remarkable carved wooden staircase, protected as Historic Monument since 1985.

Abbey
72000 Le Mans

The former Saint Vincent Abbey, founded in the 6th century in Le Mans, is a medieval Benedictine monument transformed into Bellevue High School. Its 15th, 17th and 18th century buildings combine Maurist architecture and Romanesque heritage, classified as Historic Monuments in the Maillets district.

Abbey
72000 Le Mans

Saint-Pierre de la Couture Abbey, an 18th-century Benedictine Abbey located in Le Mans in Sarthe, is now partially preserved with its abbey church and cloister, integrated into the prefecture.

Romanesque Church
72540 Chemiré-en-Charnie

The Abbey of Etival-en-Charnie, founded in 1109 in Chemiré-en-Charnie (Land of the Loire), is a 12th century Benedictine monastery, partially preserved despite its revolutionary destruction. It was a major religious and cultural centre in Maine.

Abbey
72500 Vaas

The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Vaas, founded in the 12th century, is a former Augustine abbey and then pre-demonstrated in Vaas en Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire. Its Gothic church and remains bear witness to a rich and turbulent medieval history.

Abbey
72600 Neufchâtel-en-Saosnois

The abbey of Perseigne, a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1145, is located in Neufchâtel-en-Saosnois in the Sarthe. Its ruins, inscribed in historical monuments, bear witness to a rich medieval past in the heart of the forest of Perseigne.

Abbey
72300 Solesmes

Sainte-Cécile de Solesmes Abbey, a Benedictine female monastery founded in 1866, is located in the Sarthe in Pays de la Loire. This emblematic place reconnects with the monastic tradition and the Gregorian plain-chant.

Abbey
72300 Précigné

The Perray-Neuf Abbey, a former pre-demonstrated abbey of the 17th and 18th centuries, stands at Précigné en Sarthe. Founded in the 12th century, it illustrates the monastic architecture of Haut-Anjou with its sumptuous interior decorations and monumental porch.