Vauluisant Abbey

Courgenay, France

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

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Vauluisant Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near Courgenay in Yonne, France, founded in 1127 by monks from Preuilly Abbey who settled in the remote woodlands between the forests of Othe and Lancy. The monks rapidly developed the site, diverting the River Alain and establishing an oratory consecrated in 1129; the main abbey church followed in 1149. By the 12th century, the abbey operated a network of granges, ironworks, and tileworks across its lands, producing surplus goods sold in regional markets including Troyes and Sens. Though damaged during the Hundred Years War, the abbey was rebuilt and transformed in the early 16th century under abbot Antoine Pierre, who added a fortified gatehouse, tithe barn, dovecote, mill, and guest lodgings—structures that remain recognizable today. The abbey attracted royal visitors, including François I and the birth of Jacques de Savoie, 2nd Duke of Nemours, in 1531. Designed in the Gothic architectural style, the abbey was demolished in 1791 and is now recognized as an inscribed historical monument.