Flaran Abbey Museum of art and history accessible to the whole family in Valence-sur-Baïse

FLARAN ABBEY, DEPARTMENTAL HERITAGE CENTER

Founded in 1151 in the Baïse valley, south of Condom, on the Agen-Auch axis. Benefiting from an exceptional and preserved setting, the Cistercian abbey of Flaran (12th-18th centuries) is one of the best preserved in Southwest France (site, buildings and gardens listed as Historical Monuments).

The monastic buildings and gardens located in the heart of a vast park, therefore present a particular legibility, perfect and attractive illustration of a Cistercian complex which appeared in the 12th century and was remodeled until the 18th century.
Around the cloister (12th-14th century) and the church (12th-13th century), this remarkably well-preserved complex covers more than 2000 m² and offers a unique perspective on the life of the Cistercian community established here, in the heart of the Middle Ages, at the height of the order's influence.

Since 2000, the abbey has housed the Departmental Heritage and Museums Conservation/Flaran, a service of the Gers Departmental Council. Throughout the year, it develops numerous cultural events (exhibitions, concerts, conferences, workshops and shows…) which are of interest to all areas of Heritage and artistic creation, from Archaeology to Contemporary Art.

The service, which also provides scientific management of the Gers network of sites and "Museums of France", aims to participate in the cultural irrigation of the territory, particularly around the famous "Simonow" collection (named after its custodian), an exceptional collection of illustrious artists from the 16th to the 21st century.

A cornerstone of the cultural policy adopted by the Departmental Assembly, and the most visited public site in Gers, Flaran Abbey is the subject of a multi-year development project led by the owning local authority. As such, it benefits from the regional label "Grand Site d'Occitanie," under the name "Armagnac, Abbey and Cities."