Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque, Gordes

I had the privilege of spending the afternoon painting at the Abbey …it was a very hot day, the fragrance of the lavender fields is heavenly…it is situated in a serene and beautiful setting not far from the hilltop town of Gordes. ( I was not dressed appropriately to tour the chapel, as I was wearing painting clothes it was 100o F and you must have head and shoulders covered, no shorts.) but I was able to shop in their beautiful boutique and to view the exterior. Well worth the trip to see the Cistercian Architecture and the gorgeous lavender fields that surround.

Such a beautiful place, but it deserves so much more. Our guide seemed to be totally bored by his job, acoustic was terrible and the church was a messy construction site. To be honest, I was really disappointed as I still had such wonderful memory from this beautiful place from long ago when amazing Maronite music could be heard throughout the building which added to the magic. Sénanque definitely still is worth a visit but the tour felt soulless.