Jumièges Abbey
Abbaye de Jumièges
Called “the most beautiful ruin in France” by Victor Hugo, with two 46-meter Romanesque towers rising above the lawns.
Jumièges Abbey was founded in 654 and became one of Normandy's most important Benedictine abbeys. When the Church of Our Lady was consecrated in 1067, William the Conqueror attended in person. After the French Revolution, the abbey was sold off and its stone was removed for building material. What remains is the massive Romanesque church shell and two towers about 46 meters tall, with the roofless nave open to the sky. Victor Hugo praised it as “the most beautiful ruin in France.” Nearby you'll find an English-style garden and exhibition buildings. The abbey sits on a bend of the Seine about 30 km west of Rouen, and admission is about €8.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:30–18:30 (shorter in winter)
Nearby sights
- Fontenelle Abbey (Saint-Wandrille)
- Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey
- Place du Vieux-Marché & Church of St Joan of Arc
- Gros-Horloge, Rouen
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
- Rouen Cathedral & Old Town
- Historial Jeanne d'Arc
- Saint-Maclou Church & Aître Saint-Maclou