Abbaye de Montmajour, Provence, France
Montmajour Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour or shortly Abbaye de Montmajour) is a former Benedictine abbey from the tenth century in Provence, near the town of Arles. It is very well preserved and open to the public.
Access and parking near Montmajour Abbey
The buildings of the abbey are located about 5 km from Arles, so visiting the town can be also the occasion of visiting the abbey. We used the D17 road and then parked the car on a fairly large parking lot on the other side of the street, opposite the abbey (1; GPS: 43.706320, 4.664315). Then we crossed the street and we were already at the entrance to the abbey.
Montmajour Abbey - ticket prices
The abbey is open from 10:00 until 18:30 from June to the end of September. In other months you can also visit the abbey, but the opening hours are shorter (more details on the abbey website), and additionally in winter months the museum is closed on Mondays. Ticket prices are as follows: 8€ - normal ticket, 6.5€ - reduced ticket.
Visiting the abbey
After buying the tickets we enter the abbey. The main buildings are in very good condition; also these elements that currently lie in ruins, are well maintained. The church, crypt and monks rooms have good proportions and there is surprisingly lots of light. If you want you can also go upstairs the tower to admire not only the skills of the builders, but also beautiful views of Arles and the surrounding area. While visiting the buildings you should be prepared that you will have to use some stairs, but of course nobody is rushing you up - you can always stop and admire the architecture. It is interesting that during the summer there is an exhibition of modern art in the buildings of the abbey. The combination of medieval buildings and modern art is a unique idea and first we were skeptical about this, but after visiting the abbey with the exhibition inside we think it's quite impressive.
See also: