Monastère du Coyroux

Monastère du Coyroux is the ruined medieval convent of Cistercian nuns in the commune of Aubazines, in the Corrèze department. Its weathered stone walls sit tucked into a narrow valley just 600 meters from the men's abbey of Aubazine, and the site still feels like the isolated, enclosed world it was built to be back in the 12th century.

How do you get there?

Aubazines lies in Corrèze, a short drive from Brive-la-Gaillarde on the road toward Tulle — around 20 minutes by car from Brive along local roads. The Coyroux ruins sit outside the village center, in the valley below Aubazine abbey, reached via a marked walking trail. Wear sturdy shoes: the ground is uneven and the path runs partly through wooded terrain.

What will you see?

The Coyroux convent was founded in 1142 as a community of Cistercian nuns (Bernardines) and was affiliated with the Cistercian order in 1147. Together with the men's monastery at Aubazine, it formed a so-called double abbey: both communities answered to a single abbot, even though a valley physically separated them. The nuns lived under strict enclosure and held no land or income of their own, so the monks at Aubazine were required to supply them with bread, wine, vegetables, firewood, and medicinal herbs.

The community was substantial for its time — around 150 nuns lived at Coyroux by the end of the 12th century, and about a hundred were still there in 1270. That scale made it one of the more significant centers of religious life in the Limousin region throughout the Middle Ages.

Everything changed with the French Revolution: the convent was closed, and its buildings were later quarried for stone over the following years. That's why what survives today is mostly wall fragments and foundation outlines, now listed as a monument historique. Walking through the Coyroux ruins means encountering raw, atmospheric architecture set in a forested valley — a far quieter site than the Aubazine abbey itself, but just as authentic.

When should you visit?

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for the walk to Coyroux, when the valley stays cooler and the trail offers more shade. In summer, aim for early morning or late afternoon, since much of the terrain is exposed and sunny. In winter the path can turn muddy and slippery, making the approach to the ruins harder going.

Anything else worth knowing?

Aubazine is best known for its men's abbey, with which Coyroux formed one spiritual and economic community. It's worth pairing a visit to the ruins in the valley with a stop at the village and the Aubazine abbey itself, just a few hundred meters away — together they give the fuller picture of Cistercian settlement in this corner of Corrèze.

Frequently asked questions

What was the Monastère du Coyroux? A convent of Cistercian nuns (Bernardines) founded in 1142, forming a double abbey with the men's monastery of Aubazine — both communities answered to the same abbot.

Can you visit the ruins today? Yes, they're accessible on foot via a marked trail leading from Aubazines down into the valley, about 600 meters from the abbey.

Why is the monastery in ruins? The community was shut down during the French Revolution, and the buildings were later used as a stone quarry, which led to their destruction.

How many nuns lived at Coyroux? At its peak, around the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, the community numbered close to 150 nuns, still around a hundred by 1270 — one of the larger Cistercian women's communities in the region.