Abbaye Royale de l'Épau, a queen's abbey at the gates of Le Mans

A queen's abbey

The story begins with Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England and widow of Richard the Lionheart. Settled in Le Mans in 1204, she lived there for nearly thirty years. Near the end of her life, she obtained a plot of land on the banks of the Huisne and founded a Cistercian monastery there to house her tomb. She died in 1230 without seeing her work completed; her recumbent effigy is now kept at the abbey.

After the Revolution, the abbey became a laundry, then a farm, for more than a century and a half. The Département de la Sarthe bought it in 1959 and restored it; it was listed as a historic monument in 1973. The church, cloister, chapter house, scriptorium and monks' dormitory have been brought back together, and the site now goes by the name Abbaye Royale de l'Épau.

Thank you for the welcome

Thank you to the abbey team for having us.

An investigation to find the queen

This is the new thing this year: “Les mystères de l'abbaye.” During the Hundred Years' War, Queen Berengaria's body disappeared. Hidden by a monk? Taken back to England? Riddles, symbols and clues are hidden in the rooms, to be decoded as a team.

The game is played at your own pace, from age 12 and with at least two or three players, in 1 to 1.5 hours. The kit is picked up at the front desk, at no extra charge beyond admission.

An abbey designed for families

The abbey has signed the Môm'Art charter, which commits heritage sites to welcoming children well. Two free activity booklets let you explore the site on your own, one for ages 3–6, the other for ages 7–12, and a digital investigation for young audiences is played on a phone with the Guidigo app. A sign language video guide and an “easy-to-read-and-understand” booklet are also available at the front desk.

The garden that feeds the Café des Moines

The park is organized around a permaculture garden: beehives, pond, food forest, greenhouse and henhouse, with a layout that follows that of the church's great stained-glass window. This garden feeds the Café des Moines, whose chef puts together a seasonal menu each week, served on the terrace facing the park. At the shop, you'll find the garden's products: preserves, herbal teas and a liqueur made from aromatic herbs.

All Saints' school holidays at l'Épau

• From Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, November 1, 11 AM–6 PM (except Tuesdays): the autumn quest, self-guided, for kids.
• Wednesday, October 21, 3–4:30 PM: pumpkin decorating workshop, where you carve a scary or funny face into a turnip or a pumpkin, from age 7.
• Wednesday, October 28, 3–4:30 PM: “L'art du jaspage,” decorating the edge of a book with colorful patterns, as bookbinders have done since the late Middle Ages. From age 7, and you can bring your own book.

Spots are limited and reservations are required, with an accompanying adult.

And after that

On Thursday, November 12 at 7 PM, a lecture presents the old tapestries kept at the abbey. From November 27 to January 3, the Voyage lumineux et sonore lights up the park at nightfall, with free admission. During the Christmas holidays, a winter quest and two workshops take over: winter wreath on December 23, illuminated greeting card on December 30.

From September to June, a guided tour is offered every Saturday and Sunday, at 11 AM and 4 PM, to discover the history of the abbey and its founder.

Next step: we try it

We'd like to come back during the holidays to try one of these activities, like any other visitors. The story, and the video, will follow here.

This abbey is well worth a visit: share this article with someone looking for an outing for the school holidays.

Getting there

• Abbaye Royale de l'Épau, route de Changé, 72530 Yvré-l'Évêque.
• Tram line 2, toward Espal - Arche de la Nature, Épau - Gué Bernisson stop, then a 5-minute walk.
• Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 AM–6 PM, from September to June; holiday hours on the abbey's website.
• Reservations (workshops, quests, guided tours): 02 43 84 22 29 or epau.accueil@sarthe.fr.
• Abbaye Royale de l'Épau on Sortir au Mans