In the forests of the Thar valley, in the shadow of Mont St Michel, lies the Abbaye de la Sainte-Trinité de La Lucerne D’Outremer.
Built originally in the 11th century (in the Premonstatensian style) it has flourished, collapsed and been rebuilt over the centuries. During the French revolution it was supressed and turned into a cotton mill. Much of its stone was liberated by locals, and it was left in a ruin.
One of its most effective modern rescuers was the eccentric Abbe Marcel Lelegard who, in 1959, bought the Abbey personally to help rescue and restore it.
