Abbaye des Prémontrés in Pont-à-Mousson

The abbey was built at the beginning of the 18th century under the reign of Duke Leopold of Lorraine. It became a small seminary in the 19th century. And in 1910 it was a historical building belonging to the state and was given to the city of Pont-à-Mousson in 1912.

Abbaye des Prémontrés has been badly damaged during WW1, then during WW2. From 1959 the rebuilding started and lasted 20 years. The Norbertine abbey became a Cultural Centre.

On Saturday morning we were invited to a ceremony in the abbey. It was the first time I entered the buildings. It is big, clear and the old church, Sainte-Marie-Majeure, is a very good place to attend a meeting. I was surprised it was warm inside as usually big churches are cold. The corridors were cool but the church wasn't. We saw a bit of the garden, a few modern paintings, jewellery and objects on display. It was beautiful.

Next year we'll go there again and we'll look for the stairs which we didn't see, and there should be work of art in the garden. It is really worth another visit.