Abbey of Ladies

The Abbey of Ladies is an ancient Benedictine abbey located in Saintes, the third largest urban area in the Charente-Maritime department of France.

An important spiritual center from its foundation until the Revolution, the abbey was placed under the protection of the King of France in 1378. At its peak, it housed up to a hundred nuns and was tasked with the mission of educating the young girls of the French nobility. Among its residents was the future Marquise de Montespan.

Converted into a prison during the revolutionary period and then into a military barracks until the early 20th century, it was restored during the 1970s and 1980s thanks to the creation of the Saintes early music festival.

The monastic buildings now host a cultural center affiliated with the European network of cultural meeting centers, as well as the city’s conservatory, while the abbey church retains its role as a spiritual center.

Listed on the supplementary inventory of historical monuments in 1948, the Abbey of Ladies also holds the label of Treasures of Saintonge.

SantoRun