The Thoronet abbey, a Cisterian monastery founded in 1146 by the Tourtour monks in a wild setting in the Var region, gathers its monastery buildings around a cloister which is protected by sturdy arcatures from the Romanesque period. Apart from the "palm tree" vault in the chapter house, the barrel vault predominates; its majestic volumes round out everywhere, from the church to the storeroom without forgetting the dormitory, which rose from the ruins brought about by the 18th century "improvements". The state purchased the abbey progressively from 1854 onwards and it recovered its original appearance thanks to important renovation works."
--http://thoronet.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/
Alternate name: L'Abbaye du Thoronet
