Lagrasse Abbey

It was elevated to the rank of abbey in 779 and enriched quickly thanks to donations from lords from the neighbourhood and the county of Barcelona, acquiring lands, castles, priories and other assets.

In the 16th century, Philippe de Lévis, the first commendatory abbot of the monastery, initiated the construction of a great bell tower, which was left unfinished after his death in 1537.

In the 18th century, it benefited from the architectural undertakings of its commendatory abbot, Bishop Armand Bazin de Bezons (1701–1778), enriching it with a ceremonial cour d'honneur and a cloister in classical style.

The smaller lot, comprising the medieval part of the abbey, belongs to the Council of the Department of Aude In 2004, the Canons Regular of the Mother of God [fr], a community of canons regular, moved into Lagrasse Abbey, occupying the larger lot comprising about three quarters of the building.

Restoration works in the cloister (also from the 18th century) have found remains of an ancient Romanesque portal with a marble sculpted arch, attributed to the Master of Cabestany.

View of the abbey, with the Old Bridge ( Pont Vieux ) in the foreground. The latter was the only access point from the village during the Middle Ages.