Besides the constant sighting of another Gothic church, I suppose we could say the same things about French abbeys. Every French town seemed to have an abbey that was either hundreds of years old or the ruins of one. The small riverside town of Caudebec-en-Coux was no exception.
Actually, the Abbaye de St. Wandrille, just outside the bustling metropolis of Caudebec-en-Coux, is still an operating abbey consisting of 40 Benedictine monks. Tours of the grounds are allowed and it was a gorgeous fall morning the day of our visit. Founded in the 7th century, the abbey was sacked by the Normans and rebuilt in the 10th century. Many of the structures were not rebuilt and these ruins can be seen today.
Entrance to Abbaye de St. Wandrille.
The abbey grounds.
Just across the street from the abbey is the site of the present day town church.
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