
It was under the abbey of Jean de Bonnevaux that Léoncel was created on August 23, 1137, with the arrival of 12 monks. The community was erected as an abbey, and its church was consecrated in 1188 by Robert de la Tour du Pin Archbishop of Vienna, the Pope's legate, the bishops of Die and Valencia. In keeping with the peculiar rules of simplicity, this Cistercian edifice of pure Romanesque style is in perfect harmony with the rigor of the landscape. The abbey church has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1854.