The best way to get a feel for The Abbey is to take a guided tour. Your tour guide will take you through the various buildings of The Abbey, recounting historical facts and whimsical legends.

You will learn about the vision of the White Lady which led to the constructing of the Chapel. In fact, vestiges to the White Lady can be seen in the Chapel’s stained glass. The original structure dates from 1034 but was mostly lost to a fire in the 13th century. Despite efforts by the monks to save what was left, the entire structure was lost during the Hundred Years War. The Chapel was reconstructed during the 15th and 16th centuries, but due to lack of funding was never finished. Today, the Chapel consists only of an apse and a choir. Only one relic remains from the original Abbey: a stone carving of the Virgin and Child which dates from the 12th century.

The tour will take you through The Abbey’s manicured French Gardens. On The Abbey’s south side, one can find a Linden Grove—a natural spring which flows into a man-made cress and swimming pool, installed in the 19th century. At this point in history, The Abbey was used as a military college. Louis XVI named the school one of France’s Twelve Royal Military Colleges. This is remembered by a huge cedar tree in the west court planted in 1776. There is also a yew tree on the grounds from around the same time which has never been trimmed.

In the Manège, another vestige of The Abbey’s days as a military academy, you will be able to see an excellent example of a 19th century horse riding ring. Be sure to notice how the lower portion of the wall is slanted inward in order to protect riders’ legs from being pinned between the horse and the wall.

Just outside the Manège is the Cloister dating from the 18th century. A part of the Cloister was removed in order to make room for the equestrian lessons which took place in the Manège.

The tour will finish in the Main Building, where classes and receptions occur daily throughout the year. The Main Building was constructed between 1701 and 1724 when The Abbey was used as a religious school. Objects of note include the Grand Staircase with its fine wrought iron banisters; the theatre, salon and dining hall with their beautiful vaulted ceilings; a library with the original patterned wood flooring; and paintings which were commissioned for The Abbey.