abbeys

Walled burial ground containing ruins of Kinloss Abbey.

Now an Anglican parish church, Dorchester Abbey was originally a cathedral founded by St. Birinus (in 635 CE) and later became an Augustinian abbey.

The imposing Basilique St-Denis is notable for its early Gothic architecture and its history as a burial site of French monarchs.

Nestled in a wooded valley in Burgundy, the Abbey of Fontenay is a well-restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery founded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

Begun in 1163, Fossanova is considered a magnificent example of Cistercian architecture, reflecting that of Clairvaux.

This active Cistercian monastery southeast of Rome dates from the 13th century. Its austere church has delicate columns, vaulted ceilings, small stained-glass windows and a lovely cloister.

Founded in 770 in a Tuscan valley near Siena, Sant'Antimo may be the most beautiful abbey in Italy. Gregorian chant can be heard from inside the elegant Romanesque church throughout the day.

Benedictine abbey and seminary founded in 1882 by monks from Engelberg, Switzerland.

This ruined abbey with a well-preserved gatehouse is a rare and important survival of Carolingian architecture. Charlemagne attended its consecration in 774.