Le Monastère | Rodez Agglomeration Tourist Office

Nestled at the foot of Rodez, Le Monastère flourished at the point where the Averyon and Briane rivers meet. The hilly area’s diversity had a significant impact on the village’s urban design.

The abbey and church

Le Monastère is a village with a medieval personality founded by decree by King Louis Philippe I on July 3rd 1837 and named after the Benedictine abbey founded in the Carolingian period. As the first convent in Rouergue, its renown attracted top noble families from the province who wanted to send their daughters there.

After the abbey, Saint-Étienne Church was the second building whose foundation and evolution were decisive in Le Monastère’s expansion. The priory was founded in the 12th century by Le Monastère abbey and the church changed status to become a parish in the 14th century. Its patron Saint Étienne was joined by Saint Blaise, the protector of wool workers, as a sign of their presence in Le Monastère. This church was the first fortified one in the Rodez area.

The bridge and village

The Count of Rodez had Le Monastère’s bridge built in 1339 to improve the road from the town to Millau. An elegant Flamboyant Gothic pink sandstone cross was placed at the top of the parapet in the 16th century.

Craftsmanship flourished later on and the driving force of water was exploited to set up tannery, milling, drapery, millinery and saddlery trades on the river.

So the west wing of the abbey, church, old houses, old bridge, tannery and narrow lanes reflect the wealth of its history and enhance its appeal to tourists.

Visitors can drink in Le Monastère’s built and natural heritage with a trip to the hamlets of:

Banocres,
Foulhoubous,
Puech Mouriol,
Randeynes,
Boutonnet
and on the edge of the Roman road, the headstone identifying the Gallo-Roman villa of Mas Marcou excavated in the late 19th century by Abbot Cérès.