Bonmont Abbey

While the exact date and circumstances of the foundation are unknown, it was probably supported by the Savoy abbeys in the Vallée d'Aulps and in the French Jura Mountains.

The oldest surviving document mentioning the abbey is a deed of gift from the lords of Divonne and Gingins in 1131.

The deed mentions, without elaboration, the presence of a monastic community at Bonmont in 1123, and makes clear that in 1131, six years after a visit of Bernard of Clairvaux to the area, the monastery had joined the Cistercian Order.

Numerous donations enlarged the possessions of the abbey and created ties between the monks and the local nobility.

The area owned by the abbey stretched from the foot of the Jura to the Côte de Nyon and up to Aubonne.

Under the protection of the House of Savoy in the 13th century, Bonmont Abbey was one of the richest monasteries in the Lake Geneva area.

There was also a significant structural change: in 1488 the humble roof turret was replaced by a massive tower over the transept.