Ghosts and legends...
The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Mortemer is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1634 by King Henry I of England, the fourth son of William the Conqueror.
That's a good start...
But perhaps you will change your mind when I tell you about "Ghost Night", the "Bachelors' Fountain" and the "Museum of Legends".
Did you know that the abbey is said to be a haunted place? Unusual stories ? hum...
Let's talk, for example, about La Garrache, a she-wolf who appeared in 1884... or about Mathilde, a white lady (as we meet them in other places) half dream half woman, or about the ghosts of the four monks who were exterminated during the revolution...
Let's also talk about the heavy footsteps that have been heard... let's talk about the chapel which has no heating system, the monks having to refuse any comfort... and yet it is heated!
So... is it necessary to undertake works, excavations... it was tried, but never succeeded, all sorts of more or less tragic events having always come to thwart the projects...
And today, it seems that the unexplained phenomena are still going on, but having somehow been transposed to modern techniques: telephone lines get mixed up, there is an inexplicable drop in the voltage of the electric current... a France Television team has moreover devoted a report to the subject!
Without wanting to worry, it must be said that the Mortemer Museum is likely to make you shiver! So, while you're at it, try to visit it on the occasion of the "night of the ghosts" (date in the site)... Oh... all those candles reflecting on the waters of the black ponds, those more or less evil silhouettes floating here and there, the imaginary worlds of the past centuries that come to meet us... what a good evening!
The Bachelors' Fountain
Something else very strange! Inside the abbey, there is an eleventh century wash basin decorated with a figure, which was used by the monks before they sat down to eat. It gushes out one with magical virtues, since young girls to be married who throw a hairpin in it find a husband within a year!
And even today, letters still arrive spontaneously attesting to the happiness they have found!
Relax in front of the pond?
Phew... you can also practise a lighter activity at the abbey, close to nature, as it has some very beautiful ponds and offers fly fishing courses. You'll say, catching a beautiful fish like this is a bit of a miracle, too... but hey!
Mortemer Abbey
27440 Lisors (near Lyons-la-Forêt)
Tel : 02 32 49 54 34 - 02 32 49 54 37
http://www.abbaye-de-mortemer.fr/fr/
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
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