abbaye saint-jean-des-vignes

702regd

this is a beautiful old church which has been standing in places since 1056, it is a shame some of it has been lost over the years. History right in front of you. Amazing to see and to touch the stones.

sharonj402

We stumbled upon with little gem while waiting to visit the cathedral. We followed the fleur de le symbol (or the scouts logo as my son called it) that we found on the pavements. It is a beautiful ruin and worth a visit as it's free. It is beautiful to look at and photograph. The children enjoyed it too who are 5 and 11

dipex

In my opinion more impressive than the better known Jumièges. It is free to wander around, unlike the above which charges an entrance fee. The story behind its destruction (much of the fabric was pulled down to be used for masonry for the cathedral) is bizarre since it must have been such an amazing construction.

marsh-land

The Abbey is basically the remains of a huge complex.While the tower is impressive it is the main reasons to visit the site and gaze up up the architecture and cravings.There is no charge for access to any part of the abbey.There is a small display providing the story of the abbey in the grounds There is also access to the abbey hall and cellars although nothing is displayed there and carvings etc were removed during the french revolution.An art gallery can be accessed from the rear of the building.There is no disabled access to the hall or the cellars both of which involved stairs but there is a good pathway around the exterior suitable for wheelchairs of those who find climbing stairs difficult.Parking is on street- There is free parking spaces for about 20 cars outside the entrance but this is used up quickly by office workers on weekdays but at weekends it is quite easy to park.If you are in Soissons then you need to see the Abbey but don't allocate too long in your schedule.

G8539DJjohnr

I was stunned, looking out my hotel window seeing this magnificent edifice. Just browsing through this historical and archeological site took a better part of my two days is Soissons. The staff was most helpful in steering me through the various parts of what once was one of France's jewels, partially damaged by ignorant vengeance.Jack Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, USA

Anita37

We were staying at a hotel across the road from this place, and when we saw this place we tried to get in but it was closed for the night. However the next day before we headed off we went back to visit just as it was opening up. Quite an impressive place! As noted most of the info is in French but there was enough in English for us to get a grasp of the history of the place. Certainly worth the trip if you are in the area.

AnnaJuk81

Written English tour information is available from the site office where a scale model of the abbey in its complete state can be found. Most of the tour information available there is in french so I would recommend doing some homework first (http://monarch.brown.edu/site was very informative).The refectory and cellar, and some of the inner cloister has been restored but a lot of the building is still in ruins from where the locals used it as a quarry after the revolution.

CRTLondon

We were expecting something worth visiting, as the pictures we were shown looked pretty impressive. It was also free of charge, which appealed to us However, when we arrived a gentleman told us that we could not come in – his French was so fast that we couldn’t understand the reason why we couldn’t enter. Instead, we were left to walk around the outside of the ruins and visit a nearby museum with a small, but particularly dull, collection of works. All in all, we couldn’t recommend it, although maybe the abbey was open at different times to when we visited, as indicated in other reviews.

Nathalie_Pol

The abbaye is in ruins but let's say that these ruins are very well preserved :). The visit is free of charge but I advise everyone to take the guide (an offic on the right side of the entrance). It costs only 5 EUR per person and the guides are very competent. During the visit they give you plenty of interesting informations about the life of the abbaye as well as medevial customs and architecture. Very educative and interesting.

5julienp

Depuis, mon plus jeune âge, j'ai la chance de vivre dans la cité du vase! Et quel symbole qu'est cette abbaye, déconstruite entre la 1ère et la 2ème Guerre Mondiale afin de reconstruire les habitations alantour, cette abbaye reflète l'histoire de la ville! Avec ces 10 siècles et ses 70m de haut, l'abbaye est le point culminant soissonnais! Avec un magnifique parc et faisant face à la toute récente cité de la musique et de la danse, Saint-Jean-des-Vignes offre un cadre magnifique pour des journées d'été en famille!

Flojeanne

Saint Jean des Vignes est un lieu magnifique, bien restauré, avec plusieurs bâtiments alentour. Architecture magnifique, il ne faut pas manquer d'y aller. La grande salle est superbe.

pateire

très bel ensemble hérité de temps anciens et glorieux pour la cité !!les restes sont superbes, le musée attenant dit musée de l'arsenal offre de temps à autres d'excellentes expos dont l'avantage étaient d'être gratuites, mais j'apprends que la nouvelle municipalité veut faire payer !! encore des anti-culture, notre région à besoin d'être connue avant d'être et pour être rentable !!! merci aux équipes qui sur site font un excellent travail de renseignement

simonl812

La Cathédrale avec un guide, le Musée, l'Abbaye St Léger, le château de Pierrefonds, l'abbaye de Longpont, , Villers Cotterêt et le petit Musée d'Alexandre Dumas, le château de Coucy, le château frnaco-américain de Blérancourt, le grandiose château de Compiègne....Pas de quoi s'ennuyer ! Belle région !

lionelt192

Superbe patrimoine soissonais très jolie abbaye.Si vous passez vers Soissons site à ne pas manquer surtout qu'on la voit de loin grâce à ses eux flèches.

RooneyFigueiredo

Surpreende logo à entrada. Ver a fachada sem o seu recheio causa grande impacto. O conjunto está incompleto, mas exibe marcas de seu tempo. Recomenda-se uma visita completa, especialmente aos claustros.