Saint-Hilaire abbey in Luberon, between Lacoste and Ménerbes

The Saint-Hilaire abbey, which is also sometimes called Abbey "of" Saint-Hilaire, is a private building open to the public which dates back to the thirteenth century. An engraved stone of 1254 is visible in the wall of the abbey church.

The building is of Roman architecture, but has undergone modifications / changes to Gothic architecture. We can notice some arches and arched lintels of all beauties.

The abbey church, the oldest part, is built on a fairly standard construction base. A rectangular nave with two adjoining chapels (only one is the original, the other one dates from the XIV century). One can observe on one of the walls a painting from the fifteenth century inspired by an italian style.

The cloister has retained two galleries out of the original three (XIII century). If the church, the cloister, the chapter house, the refectory and the gardens can be visited, the rest is privately used by the current owners. They are descendants of the Bride family, who fell in love with the place and acquired it in 1961 to restor it.

Overlooking the river flowing at the bottom of this valley, the land of the Saint-Hilaire Abbey is roughly located between the old road to the north of Lacoste and the old road to the south of Bonnieux. The former land, once much larger, has been divided and sold long ago.

The Saint-Hilaire Abbey is shown on the Cassini map of 1774. It reads, slightly below "The Cofte" (pointing to the nearby village of Lacoste), "St Hilaire".

In October 1975, the place is listed historical monument.

It is located in the municipality of Ménerbes, on a small hill in the valley overlooking the north of the Luberon. To reach it, one must go through the provincial road 109. If you come from Lacoste, it will be on your left. If you come from Ménerbes, shortly after driving pass Tinel, it will be on the right. There is a parking, then a small path to access it.