Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is located just 45 minutes from Paris, hidden deep within a forest in the Chevreuse Valley. After over 900 years of existance, the former 12th-century Cistercian abbey has been restored and reinvented as a country house hotel by the Paris Society.
The Abbey opened in October 2023 following a €60 million (approximately $66 million) restoration. The project was envisioned by Laurent de Gourcuff, founder and CEO of the Paris Society, and includes interiors by Cordélia de Castellane, artistic director of Baby Dior and Dior Maison. The second phase of the estate is set to launch later this year.
Echoing with the stories of nine centuries, the genesis of the Abbaye began in 1118, when a community of monks transformed the site, hidden within the forest, into a Cistercian Abbey. Withstanding wars and epidemics, the Abbaye faced abandonment in 1790, before its rescue by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild in 1873. An art lover, painter and musician, she restored each building, creating the layout of the estate that guests experience today. World War II signaled the end of the Rothschild era and a period of German occupation in which, unbeknownst to them, the Abbaye’s forests harbored the statues of Versailles. In subsequent decades, the Abbaye passed through several hands before a chance visit by Laurent de Gourcuff in 2019.
Following four years of restoration and renovation, the estate opened in 2023, with the historic buildings now home to 145 bedrooms and suites. Guests have the option of staying in the bedrooms of the L’Abbaye in Les Haras, the estate’s former stable yard, and in a series of individual Pavillons, ideal for family getaways. Other facilities include three restaurants and a spa with seven treatment rooms, wellness area and heated outdoor pool.
The Abbaye’s estate is home to biking trails, art studios, a cinema room and a Kids’ Club. Additionally, the on-site lake allows that guests to pedalo, fish or relax on sailing boats. In September 2024, La Ferme des Vallées will open on the estate a new woodland hideaway with an additional 39 guestrooms, as well as a new restaurant and bar. The new farmhouse-style accommodation, surrounded by gardens, will be perfect for families.
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