Abbaye de Jumièges

The abbey was founded in Jumièges 652 by Saint Philibert, a nobleman of the court enjoying the largesse of Clovis II. She had nearly a thousand monks when it was burned in 841 by Viking.

It was not until the year 940 that, under the leadership of William of Normandy, Benedictine monks begin its restoration. The abbey had then boom until the thirteenth century and became one of the most powerful monasteries in the kingdom. Religious wars and the Revolution overcame the building that was looted and sold as national property before being used as a quarry.

In 1852, the family Lepel-Cointet bought the abbey and began to save the remains. A century later, it became state property. "The most beautiful ruin of France" as liked to call it Victor Hugo has the highest towers of Normandy.