Source: the venue’s website, checked on 31/10/2026.
At the heart of the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, in the World Heritage Loire Valley, the Saint-Lazare priory houses a 54-room hotel. Designers Jouin Manku brought comfort into a monument where neither walls nor ceilings could be touched.
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Because the building is listed, acoustics and warmth come through the furniture, designed for the place and made by regional firms. The hotel received a Michelin Key in 2024; the restaurant serves local, seasonal food. Groups work in the abbey’s vaulted halls, from twenty to a thousand people.
Fontevraud has held the Engagé RSE label since 2014 and publishes a yearly report on its local, social and environmental commitments. Since 2025, its materials library lends stage equipment free of charge to cultural organisations in the Pays de la Loire. It is reached by train to Saumur, then by bus.
We design and lead a learning expedition that goes through this place. You can also design it yourself with Agent A\lex.
Photos: snap wander, Lynn Van den Broeck (Unsplash) ; Claudia Schmalz, edouardc (Pexels)
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