The Medieval Village of Lagrasse including its 8th Century Benedictine Abbey

One of the most Beautiful Villages in France, the medieval village of Lagrasse was home to one of the most important abbeys in the south of France. Founded in the 7th century, after a charter ordered by the Frankish King Charlemagne, the Abbey of Sainte-Marie d’Orbieu (named after the river which flows through the village) was originally built in the Romanesque style. The abbey soon became very wealthy, thanks to several large donations from lords of the area starting around 779 and started to aquire lands, castles, priories and other assets. By the 12th century it ruled over a large territory encompassing the dioceses of Toulouse, Béziers and the County of Barcelona. In the early 13th century the Abbey made even more fortunes, in large due to bounties collected by crusaders during the Albigensian Crusades against the Cathars. Its fortunes, however, began to decline during the 13th – 15th centuries during which it was reinforced and fortified to protect its riches from the numerous wars be