Aniane Abbey

Aniane Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery located near Montpellier in southern France, founded around 782 by Saint Benedict of Aniane. It was established as a center for Benedict's efforts to reform Frankish monasticism during the Carolingian era.

The abbey served as the central hub for Benedict of Aniane's strict observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict. With the backing of Emperor Louis the Pious, it became the most influential monastery in the Carolingian Empire, heavily shaping European monasticism.

Like many French monasteries, Aniane Abbey was secularized and heavily damaged during the French Revolution. The original medieval buildings were largely destroyed, and the property was sold off as national assets.

Today, the site is occupied by a 19th-century church that incorporates some surviving elements of the medieval abbey. While the grand original abbey is gone, visitors can still see fragments of the Carolingian structures and the surrounding historical village.