Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Abbaye de Jumièges
The hauntingly beautiful, bleached white ruins of this Benedictine abbey stand
in a loop of the Seine. Founded by St Philibert in 654, following the donation
of the estate to him by Queen Bathilde, wife of Clovis II, it was one of a
number of abbeys built under the dukes of Normandy as the region turned to
Christianity. Despite its chequered history (sacked by Vikings, it was rebuilt
only to later be reduced to ruins and used as a quarry), it is a part of
Normandy's rich heritage and an important stop on the famous Abbey Route.
Top 10 Features
1 West Façade
2 Storeroom
3 Nave
4 Transept
5 Choir
6 Charles VII's Passage
7 Église St-Pierre
8 Chapterhouse
9 Cloister
0 Abbey Dwelling-house
Église St-Pierre
For convenience, try
Auberge des Ruines
(pl de la Mairie)
opposite the abbey
entrance; for setting,
Auberge du Bac (2 rue
Alphonse Callais).
West Façade
Stark and simple, the
church of Notre-Dame's
impressive Romanesque
façade was built around
1060, with a projecting
porch flanked by two
massive towers. Square
at the base, octagonal
above, they originally had
wooden spires.
You can explore the
magically illuminated
abbey at night on one
of the
promenades
nocturnes
held on
some Saturdays from
April to September.
Phone for details.
Storeroom
Once a welcoming
hall for important guests,
the storeroom, Gothic in
design, Romanesque in
decoration, is intact but
for its ribbed vaulting.
•
24 rue Guillaume-le-
Conquérant, 76480
Jumièges
• Map H3
•
02 35 37 24 02
• www.monum.fr
•
Open mid-Apr-mid-Sep:
9:30am-7pm daily; mid-
Sep-mid-Apr and Easter
weekend: 9:30am-1pm,
2:30-5:30pm. Closed 1
Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 11
Nov, 25 Dec
• Admission: adults
€4.60; 18- to 25-year-olds
€2.50; children under 18
free. Oct-Apr: first Sun
of the month free
Nave
Only the walls of
Normandy's tallest Roman-
esque nave
(left)
still stand,
left open to the skies after
the demolition of the plaster
vault that replaced the
original, wood ceiling.
Transept
The west wall is all that
survives of the 11th-century
transept. The transept cross-
ing was topped by a lantern
tower, to let in maximum
light in poor weather.
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