Historical routes

While staying in the region, you can visit Robert's first monastic foundation, dating back to 1096: Roë Abbey, near Laval (current department of Mayenne).

Also keep in mind that Fontevraud will become the mother-abbey of the fontevriste order. As such, you will also have the chance to visit the old fontevriste priory in Lencloître (Vienna), whose priory became the nineteenth Parish Church.

The town of Chinon (20 kilometers from Fontevraud) is a must for all wishing to learn more about the Plantagenet family. On that front we recommend you visit:
▪ The fortress in which Henri II died and where Aliénor lived under house arrest
▪ The chapel of Sainte-Radegonde, which maintains a very beautiful mural painting of a procession featuring Henri II, Aliénor and their three children

Then, in the city of Poitiers, (85 kilometers from Fontevraud) is situated the main residence of the dukes of Aquitaine. There you will get to admire:
▪ The old palace of the dukes of Aquitaine and counts of Poitou (the current courthouse)
▪ The Saint-Pierre cathedral, in which married Aliénor and Henri, in 1152. A stained glass, situated above and depicting the crucifixion (that of Jesus and that of Saint Pierre) includes the portrayal of Aliénor and Henri II Plantagenêt next to their children, performing the donation of the stained glass.

Finally, in the town of Mans, 130 kilometers from Fontevraud, lies the birth town of Henri II Plantagenêt. As such the historical quarter was named "Cité Plantagenêt" in 2003. There you can visit:
▪ The Saint-Julien cathedral, where the father of Henri II, Geoffroy V The Handsome, was buried
▪ The palace of the counts of Maine (current town hotel)
▪ The college of Saint-Pierre-la-Cour (the old church of the counts' palace)
▪ The Cistercian Abbey of Epau, near the city entrance, founded in 1229 by the spouse of Richard Cœur de Lion, Bérangère de Navarre, where she was also buried.