In pictures: Jumièges Abbey in Normandy
One of the great things about travel is coming across something unexpectedly amazing. I’d never heard of Jumièges Abbey until spotting it on the map on a last-minute trip to Normandy. Near the banks of the Seine between Rouen and Le Havre, this Benedictine abbey was originally built in the seventh century. Not that it latest long – it was destroyed first by the Vikings then later by the English and the Huguenots. But each time it was rebuilt, until finally being abandoned after the French Revolution and pillaged for its white limestone. But the ruins left behind are beautiful and atmospheric – the church’s 50-metre-high towers, cloisters complete with a yew tree growing in the centre and precariously balanced arched columns. And if you’re there in summer, you can visit by night when the abbey’s lit up and its stone glows in the light.
Looks magnificent!
It was – a shame you can’t get up the towers though as the view would be amazing!
Nice. I was on the northern coast of Brittany last month, and it’s a lovely area. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing.
Thanks. We did lots of family holidays to Brittany and Normandy when I was young but hadn’t been back for a while and it was lovely to go and rediscover it, and some great new places.
Yeh, there was an historic element to my visit too, both personally and physically through visiting Mont-Saint-Michel for the first time. I’m doing an article about it for the Travel Thru History website at the moment. They’d probably be interested in your trip if you fancied extending it into an article. Good luck…
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have a look into that site.
Very nice.
Beautiful photos!