Abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu

Since 2007, the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu has been at the heart of a major rehabilitation and enhancement project led by the Syndicat Mixte Projet Chaise-Dieu (comprising the Department of Haute-Loire, the Puy-en-Velay Agglomeration Community, and the municipality of La Chaise-Dieu). This large-scale project aims to "restore visibility" to the abbey in its entirety, allowing visitors to understand its operation and architectural organization.

The Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, founded in the mid-11th century under the Latin name "Casa Dei" by Robert de Turlande, former canon and Count of Brioude, has stood the test of time, bequeathing us a prestigious heritage enhanced by recent restorations. The museum tour, open since 2018, invites visitors to rediscover these spaces through modern and immersive displays.

The abbey complex consists of several buildings gathered around a cloister, including a magnificent 14th-century Gothic abbey church housing the tomb of Pope Clement VI, 144 carved oak stalls, a flamboyant Gothic rood screen and a sumptuous organ case, as well as the famous fresco of the Dance of Death, a 15th-century mural painting; The 17th-century convent building, which once housed the old dormitories, now displays 16th-century Flemish tapestries originally made to decorate the church's choir, a scenography depicting the Dance of Death, and the famous Echo Room, a true mystery for visitors who, standing at diametrically opposite angles, can hear each other perfectly, even whispering. Place Lafayette, at the east end of the church, is dominated by the imposing 14th-century Clementine Tower, and its former stables have been transformed into an auditorium for the cultural season's shows and concerts. The abbey's former refectory has become the Chapel of the Penitents.

Some of these spaces are freely accessible all year round: the St-Robert abbey church, the Chapelle des Pénitents, Place Lafayette, Porte du For, Place de l'écho and its renovated sundial...

The paid tour route is open from April to October and allows you to discover the new renovated and themed spaces: the cloister, the echo wing with the nave of the 14 tapestries classified as Historical Monuments in 1840, the echo room, the Builders' space, the old kitchen renamed "Clement VI Lodge" and the scenography on the danse macabre.

Since 2022, the visitor route has offered an original visitor experience, a sensory circuit accessible to people with visual, hearing or mental impairments, developed by the AcceSens association as part of the “Massif Central for all” project.

The Abbey of La Chaise Dieu has been awarded 3 stars in the prestigious Michelin Green Guide.

audio guides in French, English, German and Spanish

The abbey church, the Penitents' Chapel, and the abbey grounds are open to the public year-round. The paid museum tour includes the cloister, the Builders' area, the 14 Flemish tapestries, the Echo Room, and several immersive exhibits.
The individual, nominative season pass costs €20.
Access to the temporary exhibition alone at €8 (from May 1st to September 20th, 2026).