abbaye de valloires

On Sunday, Michael and I packed another picnic and headed to the Abbaye de Valloires via Abbeville. The Abbey was the home to Cistercian monks beginning in the 12th Century. Unfortunately, the it suffered extensive damage in the 100 Years War, as well as subsequent wars, so aside from the 17th Century dovecote, the existing structures date from the 18th Century.

In the 1920s, Thérèse Papillon, a young (and apparently wealthy) nurse with the Red Cross, purchased the Abbey and turned it into a sanatorium for children at risk for tuberculosis. Owned by an association, the Abbey now serves as a home for children in difficulty.