The chêne des moines on mountain bike

In 1132, Henry of Carinthia, Cistercian abbot of Morimond, arrived in a small, quiet valley, surrounded by majestic forests and crossed by the Canner, a small stream whose source is nearby. He was accompanied by monks and convers, laborers, stonecutters and blacksmiths. On land donated by the Duke of Lorraine and other generous donors, they founded the Abbey of Villers-Bettnach, a place conducive to meditation and work. After the revolutionary turmoil and the departure of the last monks, the buildings were sold as national property and demolished as quarries. The abbey church was less than a century old. Visitors to the site will discover the Chapelle des Humbles, restored by the Association, the portal of Monseigneur Coislin, the gable of the Chapelle Sainte Catherine, the ruins and, some distance away, the pond, the monastery's water reserve.