Royal Abbey of Fontevraud

General restructuring

See the project

Information

Built around 1786, the building known as the Fannerie is one of the very last to have been constructed during the period when Fontevraud Abbey was in operation.

Fontevraud Abbey,

France

Project owner

Pays de la Loire Regional Council

Mission

Complete project management

Restoration – restructuring

Interior design (excluding museum design)

Compliance with standards and accessibility

Amount of work

€8,900,000 excluding tax

Surface

1,700 square meters

Delivery

2021

Its name is linked to the storage of hay for the horses and it was originally part of a group of buildings dedicated to the stables and carriages of the monastic complex. Located opposite the abbess's residence, this new hayloft was part of a cohesive architectural program aimed at reorganizing and expanding the entrance courtyard, of which it occupies the northern part. Unused for nearly a century, its interior spaces were awaiting a redevelopment project.

In 2018, thanks to an exceptional donation from Martine and Léon Cligman—labeled a national collection focused primarily on modern art, representing a bequest of more than 800 works to the French state and the Pays de la Loire region—the Fannerie building, ideally located at the entrance to the site, was chosen to house the Fontevraud Museum of Modern Art.

The project entrusted to the 2BDM agency consisted of the general restructuring of the building with major underpinning work, the creation of technical spaces, including the redesign of the entire distribution and access system, highlighting the pre-industrial character of the site, as well as the development of a new reception area for the abbey and museum.

The project took twenty months to complete, including four months of archaeological excavations. Now fully accessible to people with reduced mobility, the Fontevraud Museum of Modern Art has been open to the public since May 2021. It offers 800 square meters of permanent exhibition space and 400 square meters of temporary exhibition space. In parallel with this extensive restructuring, a landscaped courtyard has been created to house outdoor works.