Discover Aubazine and the Monks' Canal
What's the link between an abbey, a canal, Cistercian monks and Coco Chanel? Aubazine, of course, and one of our great places to visit near Brive-La-Gaillarde.
Situated on a rocky spur overlooking the River Corrèze between Brive and Tulle, Aubazine is a village with a unique and picturesque heritage dating back to the 12th century, including an abbey, an abbey church and a canal built into the cliffside by monks. Come and meet the monks - you won't regret it!
Aubazine: gaillard and responsible destination!
- Explore the Cistercian abbey and its flower-filled cloister featuring a fountain brought to life by 60 oxen. Absolutely gaillard!
- Enter the abbey church to see its 12th-century liturgical wardrobe, its entombment, and its grisaille stained glass windows that inspired Miss Chanel, no less!
- Visit the Cistercian museum in the former presbytery to find out all you need to know about the history of the twin monasteries of Obazine and Coyroux.
- Walk along the monks' canal, a real work of art, offering magnificent panoramic views while respecting the surrounding nature. In short, be responsible!
Aubazine Abbey
Aubazine is an abbey like no other! In 1125, Saint Etienne of Obazine founded a hermitage which became a Cistercian monastery numbering 300 religious in the 17th century. The monks lived off the produce from the various barns they had built in the Limousin and Quercy regions. The abbey was abolished during the French Revolution.
In 1860, it became an orphanage run by the nuns of Saint-Coeur-de-Marie. During the Second World War, young Jewish women and girls were hidden there.
Since 1965, the nuns of the Resurrection (a Byzantine church attached to Rome) have maintained the site and given tours.
The monks' canal
This magnificent work of art was also built in the twelfth century by the monks and was used to turn the mills and supply water to fish ponds and monastery buildings. It draws its water upstream from the Coiroux stream and then transports it to Aubazine along the rocky side of the valley. The sometimes perilous topography of the area makes this canal a unique construction with exceptional expertise. Listed as a historic monument in 1965, it was renovated in 2010. Give in to the temptation of this 1.5 km walk. Be sure to bring good shoes!
Coco Chanel in Aubazine
Aubazine is where the famous Coco Chanel grew up. Gabrielle Chanel was placed in an orphanage at the age of 12 and stayed there until she was 18.The future stylist learned sewing there. She later drew inspiration for her designs from the place: the black and white of the clothes worn by the nuns and the beige of the walls. The two intertwined letters "C" in her logo were inspired by the stained glass windows in the abbey church.
In 2020, during a haute couture show, Chanel paid tribute to the abbey by recreating its cloister almost identically under the glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris. So chic!
Hiking in Aubazine
What if you left the heart of Aubazine to discover what's hidden around it? There are three walking routes to choose from:
- Along the Coiroux to the Monks Canal (9.4 km).
- The monasteries circuit, from Aubazine to the remains of the female monastery at Coyroux (4.3 km).
- From Puy Pauliac and its orientation table to the monks' canal (9.4 km).
As a family, try the geocaching experience with the "Obazine, in the time of the monasteries" hiking trail of Terra Aventura. 5km route.
Practical information
Where is Aubazine?
The village of Aubazine lies halfway between Brive and Tulle, along the D1089. It takes around 20 minutes to get there from Brive.
Visit Aubazine abbey and the monks' canal
Visits to the abbey do not require booking. Information (times and prices) on the official website and on 05 55 87 39 52.
Free access all year round for the monks' canal. Guided walks are organised during the summer.
What to see around Aubazine
- The Coiroux lake (leisure complex with authorised bathing in July and August) and the Coiroux golf course beside the lake (open all year round).
- The Pans de Travassac at Donzenac are unique in Europe. This is the only slate quarry still in operation today, and has covered the roof of the Mont-Saint-Michel basilica, among other buildings.
- Swimming at Miel Lake
- The Caesar Tower at Allassac
Tip In the footsteps of Coco Chanel
When the building goes, everything goes! This could have been the motto of the Cistercian monks, tireless builders between the 11th and 13th centuries. In Aubazine, as elsewhere, they couldn't resist indulging their guilty pleasure of building an abbey. It was in this abbey, transformed into an orphanage, that Coco Chanel lived between the ages of 12 and 18. As you contemplate the stained glass windows in the church, don't you see two intertwined C's? Yes, that's right, my friend. But there are other details that evoke the creations of the great designer. It's up to you to discover them as you wander around.
Aubazine Abbey,
19190 Aubazine
05 55 87 39 52
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