Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille

The Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, at Saint-Wandrille-Rançon in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy, France, is a living Benedictine monastery in the Seine valley, 30 km west of Rouen, in near-continuous monastic occupation since its founding in 649 AD by Saint Wandrille. Unlike the ruined Jumièges nearby, Saint-Wandrille survived the Revolution and returned to the Benedictines in the 19th century; a community of some 50 monks continues monastic life here today. The monastery is not a ruin but a complex of buildings spanning twelve centuries of construction, from surviving Carolingian-period arches to the Gothic cloister completed in the 15th century and a remarkable 13th-century tithe barn transported from the Eure valley in 1969 to serve as the abbey church after the medieval nave was damaged. The cloister — one of the finest Gothic cloisters in Normandy — can be visited on guided tours offered at set times. The Gregorian chant sung by the monastic community during the seven canonical hours can be heard by visitors attending daily services, which are open to the public at published times. Vespers and Compline are particularly atmospheric, the deep unaccompanied plainchant resonating in the ancient tithe barn church. The abbey shop sells products selected by the monks: honey, candles, beeswax polish, recordings of the chant, and books. Accommodation for spiritual retreatants is available at the abbey guesthouse by prior reservation. The abbey is one of the few places in France where authentic Gregorian chant can be heard in its original monastic setting.