It was in 1115, on the borders between Champagne and Burgundy, that the future Bernard of Clairvaux, accompanied by 12 monks from Citeaux, came to open up a forest clearing in the Val d’Absinthe.

After a period working, the great abbey of the “Claire vallée” formed the group of the four Cîteaux “major” daughters (first foundations). Planted with vines and animated with barns, forges and mills, it has been strengthened by hundreds of filiations across Europe, permanently imbued with Cistercian spirituality. Don’t miss a stop there to stamp your pilgrim passport!