The ruins of this 11th-century Benedictine abbey are located on the pilgrimage route to the Santiago de Compostela and have UNESCO World Heritage status.
Founded in 1079, it was a Romanesque masterpiece and many of its impressive carved capitals remain. With royal patronage, Eleanor of Aquitaine apparently stayed here often, it was a wealthy monastery and at its height ruled over 50 priories.
Located between the Garonne and Dordogne, in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, the abbey is named after the big forest, or "Silva Major", which characterised the surrounding landscape. It was soon at the head of priories spread from England to Aragón, and became a stop on the Saint James of Compostela pilgrimage route.
After the Revolution, all that was left was a ruin used as a stone quarry. Classified as a historic monument in 1840, it served as a teacher training college before being acquired by the state in 1960.
