Founded in 1118, Preuilly was the fifth daughter house of Cîteaux and one of the earliest Cistercian abbeys anywhere. Its 14-hectare enclosure between Montereau and Provins keeps substantial 12th-century remains: the abbey church with choir, nave and transept, and the chapter house. It is a private farm estate and a classified monument.
What it needs
A survey found deformed masonry, large cracks, weakened buttresses and decaying wall tops in the roofless church, with vegetation speeding things up. Without prompt work parts of it, notably a wall of the north aisle, could fall. The collection opened in October 2026 and has barely started; works are due to begin at the end of 2026.
Before you act. A privately owned ruin on a working farm, open on set days. The aim is consolidation, not a return of monastic life, and the page does not say how the rest of the cost will be met.
The Définitoire was damaged by fire in the 19th century, is largely disused and is described by the Fondation du patrimoine as in a state of peril; walls and roof come first. Once saved it is to house a study and research center holding the archives of the order, plus exhibition space. Works began in March 2025 and the donation drive is under half way to its target.
On the morning of 2 November 2025 a fire gutted the main building, leaving only walls and a few vaults and destroying the original timber roof and painted beams. The owners first need to protect the exposed masonry, then rebuild frame and roof. Insurance is capped, so the Fondation du patrimoine opened an emergency collection.
