Abbaye d'Aubazine

Originally founded in 1134 or 1142 as a Benedictine monastery, Aubazine Abbey joined the Cistercian Order as early as 1147, becoming a daughter monastery of Cîteaux. The monastery experienced rapid growth, establishing six of its own daughter monasteries and numerous granges by 1261. Together with the nunnery of Coyroux, founded in 1142, it formed an unusual type of double monastery. The abbey owned lands and properties, including the Coucnaguet mill, several houses in Brive, an estate in Rocamadour, and a salt warehouse in Cognac. The Hundred Years' War led to the monastery's decline and impoverishment. During the French Revolution, the abbey was dissolved in 1791. After the revolution, the abbey church served as a parish church, and the remaining monastic buildings were converted into an orphanage. From 1986 to 2010, Aubazine housed a charismatic renewal movement.

The Abbaye d'Aubazine is located in the commune of Aubazine in the Corrèze department, Limousin region, France, at an altitude of approximately 286 m above sea level.

Today, the monastery can be visited. The preserved parts of the three-aisled church, built until 1176, whose nave was shortened by six bays in 1757, are accessible. The choir with its three round-arched windows and the crossing with a pendentive dome and an octagonal tower are preserved. The tomb of the first abbot, Saint Stephen, is located in the transept. Of the cloister buildings located north of the church, the sacristy, the chapter house with two mighty monolithic columns, and the monks' hall are preserved. A monumental staircase leads from the dormitory to the transept. An irrigation canal, approximately 1500 meters long, originating from Coiroux Abbey, is also still present.

• Château de la Rue (castle), approx. 14.9 km away
• Château de Puy-de-Val (castle), approx. 16.5 km away
• Château de Puymèges (castle), approx. 16.8 km away
• Château de Lissac (castle), approx. 18.3 km away