The ancient Cistercian abbey of Jouy-le-Châtel, located in Chenoise, Seine-et-Marne, France, was founded in 1124 by Thibaut II, Count of Champagne. This abbey, known as Jouy-en-Brie, swiftly gained prominence, establishing four daughter abbeys – Bonlieu (1141), La Noë (1144), Pontaut (1151) and Sellières (1168). The abbey was granted the Forest of Jouy by Henry I of Champagne in 1156, covering an area of 1632 hectares today. The abbey church, completed in 1224, was a sight to behold, reaching 74 meters in length and 20 meters in width, shaped like a cross. Only the abbey's chevet remains today, featuring two tiers of pointed arches and adorned with an intricate archivolt supported by columnar bases with crochets. The abbey church also housed tombs and a striking statue of the Virgin Mary.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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