Abbey of Mortemer

#Museums #Parks and gardens #Historic sites and monuments

Located in the heart of the beech forest of Lyons-La-Forêt, the Mortemer Abbey was founded in 1134 upon the request of Henri I Beauclerc, the last son of William the Conqueror at this time Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was the first Cistercian abbey in Normandy and the witness of a prestigious past : this place of pilgrimage for many kings and queens crossed the centuries until the last 4 monks living at the abbey were murdered during the French Revolution.
Today, the abbey is a place full of history, where a strange atmosphere reigns due to the ghost tenants who have been lurking there for centuries. Indeed the abbey is home to many legends such as that of Mathilde l'Emperesse which is best known in the region under the name of the White Lady of Mortemer or that of the last 4 monks murdered in the 18th century. There is also the story of the Sainte-Catherine fountain known as the Bachelors’ Fountain.