Abbaye de Jumièges

Located in the loops of the Seine between Rouen and Le Havre, the Abbey of Jumièges was one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in the West. Founded in 654, it benefited from royal protection from the beginning until its sale as a “National Property” during the Revolution. The abbey church with its high Romanesque towers is the jewel in its crown. The sale led to its transformation into a stone quarry for more than 20 years and the destruction of three quarters of its buildings. Its impressive remains, which offer unique dimensions and views, earned it the name of “the most beautiful ruin in France” in the 19th century.
We owe to its last private owners, the Lepel-Cointet family, who owned the estate for nearly a century until its purchase by the State in 1946, the development of the ruins and the development of the large park of the abbey in a spirit largely imbued with romanticism.
In 2007, ownership of the entire Jumièges estate was transferred to the Department of Seine Maritime, which set itself two major objectives: on the one hand, to renew the means of knowledge and perception of the site and, on the other hand, to reopen to visitors the abbey dwelling, a large classical building located at the eastern end of the estate.