''not to be confused with

Belloc Abbey Belloc Abbey, otherwise the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Belloc (french: Abbaye de Belloc, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Belloc), is a Benedictine monastery located in Urt, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It was founded in 1875. Description The community, whi ...

in Urt; for other uses see Beaulieu'' Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey, also known as Belloc Abbey (french: Abbaye de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue, Abbaye de Belloc), is a former Cistercian

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

in south-west

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, founded in 1144, which today houses a museum of

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

. It is located in the commune of Ginals in the north-east of the

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; oc, Tarn e Garona ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. The area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy and ...

department,

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

History

Located in the valley of the River Seye, in the old

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Rouergue Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan ...

, the abbey was founded by the

bishop of Rodez The Diocese of Rodez (–Vabres) ( la, Dioecesis Ruthenensis (–Vabrensis); French: ''Diocèse de Rodez (–Vabres)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is in Rodez. The ...

, Adhemar III. The buildings were heightened in the 17th centuries, but then fell into decline by the 18th century, when the cloister was demolished. At the time of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, the monastery was closed and the buildings sold, to be converted into a farm. Part of the buildings were dismantled. In 1875, the buildings were first classed as a '' monument historique''. The site was purchased in 1960 by M. Brache and Mme. Bonnefoi, who carried out important restoration work, aided by the ''Caisse des monuments historique et des sites'' (currently the ''

Centre des monuments nationaux The Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN) (French, 'National monuments centre') is a French government body (Établissement public à caractère administratif) which conserves, restores and manages historic buildings and sites that are the propert ...

''). In 1973, they gave the abbey, together with an important collection of modern art, to the French state. The abbey was then transformed into a centre for contemporary art, and today is a museum of contemporary art in the

Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by ar ...

area, with minor works by artists including

Henri Michaux Henri Michaux (; 24 May 1899 – 19 October 1984) was a Belgian-born French poet, writer and painter. Michaux is renowned for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim ...

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a ...

, and

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (13 June 1908 – 6 March 1992) was a Portuguese abstract painter. She was considered a leading member of the European abstract expressionism movement known as Art Informel. Her works feature complex interiors and ...

, as well as regional artists. Abbaye de Beaulieu

References

External links

Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey
''Centre des monuments nationaux'' (English language website) Cistercian monasteries in France Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Art museums and galleries in France Museums in Tarn-et-Garonne Churches in Tarn-et-Garonne 1144 establishments in Europe 1140s establishments in France 1789 disestablishments in France Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux {{France-Christian-monastery-stub