Abbey of Fontenay

Fontenay is often taken as an example to illustrate the typical plan of the Cistercian Abbey. This is no doubt due to the exceptional state of conservation of the Abbey, but also because of its early date of construction and its architectural homogeneity. Today we can think that Fontenay was one of the models used to define the Cistercian plan which was later taken up by many abbeys of the order.

In Fresnes, in the department of Côte-d'Or, the Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was originally founded in the 12th century, although it has been modified over the centuries. The nave and the Romanesque entrance, whose tympanum is decorated with a Celtic cross, are both original. The building has been classified as a Historical Monument since 2015 and has some elements of classified furniture, such as a painting of Christ and the Twelve Apostles.

Built in the 13th and 14th c., one of the most refined churches of the Burgundian Gothic style watches over the medieval town in the company of a whole grotesque little world hanging from its cornices. The porch with its flamboyant pinnacles, the radiating chapels of the apse and the reliefs of the tympanum of the Porte des Bleds are remarkable, as are the interior decoration, the furniture and the stained glass windows. The large classified organs date from the 18th century.