Villeneuve Abbey (fr. Abbaye de Villeneuve) is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1201 located in the Nantes region, in Loire-Atlantique department of France, Pays de la Loire, 50 km from the Atlantic Ocean.
The abbey of Villeneuve was partly destroyed during the French Revolution and the wars of the Vendée. The abbey had only six monks left when it was sold during the Revolution.
Abandoned since the Second World War, it was fully restored in 1977. The current building dates from the early 18th century.
Located on the territory of the town of Sorinières, the renovated buildings now house a luxury hotel complex (as well as a restaurant called the Epicurean) which sometimes welcomes illustrious visitors, like the Dalai Lama, during his stay in Nantes from August 15 to 20, 2008.
GPS coordinates: 47°07′24″N 01°32′02″W
Shortest distances by car
- From Paris: 4 hr 3 min (390 km) via A11
- From Toulouse: 5 hr 19 min (577 km) via A62, A10 and A83
- From Marseille: 9 hr 2 min (976 km) via A62
- From Nice: 10 hr 39 min (1,135 km) via A62
- From Monaco: 10 hr 54 min (1,158 km) via A62
- From Andorra: 7 hr 43 min (759 km) via A62
- From Madrid: 10 hr 9 min (1,030 km) via A-1
- From Moscow: 34 hr (3,279 km) via E30/M1
- From Belgrade: 21 hr 32 min (2,109 km) via E70
- From Istanbul: 32 hr (3,058 km) via E70
- From Bern: 8 hr 52 min (902 km) via A6
See here France travel guide
See here Spain travel guide
See here Pyrenees travel guide
See here Andorra travel guide
