Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Solesmes

The Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1010, set along the banks of the Sarthe river midway between Le Mans, Laval, and Angers. It gained international significance in the 19th century when Dom Prosper Guéranger re-established monastic life here in 1833 and turned Solesmes into the epicentre of the Gregorian chant revival — the Vatican's standard chant editions used by the Catholic Church today trace directly to the Solesmes monks' scholarly work. The abbey church contains two extraordinary 15th- and 16th-century sculptural ensembles known as the 'Saints de Solesmes', among the finest examples of religious sculpture in France, and the site holds classified status as a French historic monument. Visitors who attend the monks' daily offices — held seven times a day — experience Gregorian chant as an unbroken living tradition rather than a museum piece.