Sénanque Abbey is a Romanesque Cistercian abbey in Provence, founded in 1148 by monks from Mazan Abbey under Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona and Provence. The lords of Simiane supported construction, and the abbey church was consecrated in 1178. The article names no architect, materials or dimensions.
The church is tau-cross shaped, with an apse projecting beyond the outer walls and the east end facing north. The cloister capitals are reduced to simple leaf forms. It also has a dormitory, a chapter house and a small calefactory, the only heated room, used as a scriptorium. A refectory was added in the 17th century.
The abbey peaked in the 13th and 14th centuries with four mills and seven granges. Huguenots ransacked it in the Wars of Religion. Cistercians repurchased it in 1854, were expelled in 1903 and returned in 1988. Monks now grow lavender and keep bees.
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