Abbey of Saint-Denis

In the heart of a wooded park of about 37 acres, the Abbey of Saint Denis is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most picturesque places in the Mons region. A community of monks lived on the site until the end of the 18th century, and then an important cotton mill sat there until 1958. The surrounding wall is still standing as well as the gates of sculpted stone and most of the buildings of this former Benedictine abbey, founded in 1081. Shows and other events take place in the tithe barn (1683), beneath its high oak framework. A few hundred yards away stands the Mill of St Denis (1777) with its outbuildings and its pastoral waterfall. Blueprints show that the mill already existed in the Middle Ages, but the current buildings were reconstructed in the 18th century using the same plans. The mill now houses a theatre with high-quality programming.