Royaumont Abbey now hosts shows all year round!

Saison Royaumont takes place every Sunday afternoon from 2pm, all year round, with a short winter break at the beginning of the year. In the Val-d'Oise region, this new Sunday cultural event, which used to take place only at certain times of the year, transforms the weekend outing into a complete experience, with shows, concerts, meetings, tours of the monument and artistic highlights in the exceptional setting of this Cistercian abbey founded in 1228 by the young Louis IX, future Saint Louis, and his mother Blanche de Castille.

For almost eight centuries, this Cistercian abbey has been a witness to collective intelligence and a place where knowledge is passed on. In a world in perpetual motion, Royaumont is a true haven of peace, ideal for disconnecting, a place of preserved heritage where time seems suspended. Every note of music, every choreographed gesture becomes an invitation to encounter and discover. This transformation of the festival into a season aims to attract a wider audience over the long term, by offering an accessible cultural outing every Sunday from September to June, combining classical music, opera, contemporary dance and multidisciplinary creations.

The new season's programming remains faithful to Royaumont's identity, highlighting talents trained on site. Jean-Christophe Lanièce opened the 2025-2026 Season with a landscape opera based on Carmen, an offbeat retelling of Bizet's work with trumpet and ukulele, which we discovered and loved. We laughed, we participated, we woke up to the message of aggression against women, and we ended up crying at the final scene. On this occasion, the entire Abbey was taken over by the Opera, from the gardens to the Monks' Refectory. Depending on the season and the shows, the venues vary.

Contemporary dance is also invited, with Rebecca Journo presenting her new choreographic creation Bruitage. Keyboardists such as Ninon Hannecart-Ségal and Maude Gratton explore the treasures of the abbey's libraries. Transcultural dialogue takes pride of place with musicians such as Séverine Morfin and Malik Ziad. Contemporary creation also shines, with the world premiere of Frédéric Durieux's Sammlung, a work that sets to music the writings of the patients of a psychiatrist-collector and precursor of art brut, recorded by France Musique.

What are the highlights of the Royaumont 2025-2026 Season?

The program for this new season features a wide range of artistic diversity and a resolutely multidisciplinary line-up. The 2025/2026 season features some one hundred classical singers, with a particular focus on medieval music,opera, mélodie and Lied. Every Sunday, a chance to hear the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ installed in the monks' refectory, as well as a dozen other precious keyboards.

Among this season's highlights, harpsichordist Benjamin Alard will play Bach and Couperin on October 12, drawing a parallel with the symmetry and perspectives of Grand Siècle gardens. On November 16, Carmen Kleykens and Carolina Santiago reinvent the piano recital, using sensors, cameras, light and shadows to create a total multi-disciplinary spectacle combining music, video and visual performance. A concert of medieval music offers a cross-cultural dialogue on November 23, when theApotropaïK ensemble imagines an oasis where early troubadour songs and Arabo-Andalusian noubas meet.

Just before the holidays, on December 7, drummer and composer Anne Paceo drifts across imaginary oceans with cartoonist Cyril Pedrosa, blending melodies and colors in a multi-disciplinary show where music dialogues with live drawing. On March 8, artist-in-residence Ninon Hannecart-Ségal slips a creation between two Bach arias, which she plays on a modern harpsichord designed in the 1970s. March 15 marks a piano duel between Vanessa Wagner and Wilhem Latchoumia, two of the greatest pianists of our time, who together play a French program ranging from Ravel and Debussy to Pierre Henry.

On April 5, Argentine virtuoso Pablo Márquez dialogues with Quatuor Voce on the Argentine repertoire, far beyond tango. Partnerships are being strengthened with neighboring festivals such as Jazz au fil de l'Oise and the Festival Baroque de Pontoise. For the first time, open stages welcome amateurs, with the Taverny Conservatory Madrigal, theRoissy Pays de France DEMOS ensemble and the Persan Conservatory.

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How to make the most of a Sunday at Royaumont?

Beyond the show itself, the Royaumont Season invites you to a total experience within the abbey. Every Sunday is transformed into a cultural and gourmet interlude. You can enjoy a Sunday brunch served in one of the abbey's most beautiful vaulted halls, a convivial moment that allows you to immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the place before the concert. Offered on the last Sunday of every month, the brunch offers you the chance to enjoy a meal in an exceptional setting, under Gothic vaults that have stood the test of time.

Guided tours of the abbey are another highlight of the Royaumont experience. They reveal the fascinating history of the abbey, from its 13th-century origins to its transformation into a cultural center. Tour guides reveal the secrets of the cloister, the Gothic refectory and the historic rooms, while recounting the abbey's different lives: Cistercian monastery, cotton mill after the Revolution, then novitiate before becoming the cultural center we know today. These tours fit in perfectly with the Sunday program, combining heritage discovery with an artistic experience.

After the show, you can let yourself be carried away by the tranquility of the remarkable gardens, enjoy the after-concerts in the residents' lounge or simply stroll through the seven-hectare park. To fully experience the magic of a weekend at the abbey, theHôtel de Royaumont opens its doors every Saturday evening, allowing you to extend your immersion in this exceptional place and enjoy dinner under the vaults.

What can you discover at Royaumont Abbey?

Royaumont Abbey is still the largest Cistercian abbey in the Île-de-France region. Listed as a historic monument, the buildings are arranged around a superb cloister whose galleries once served as the monks' work and prayer areas. The Gothic refectory is one of the finest examples in France. As for the abbey church, destroyed during the French Revolution, it has been replaced by romantic ruins that hint at its grandiose proportions.

The seven-hectare park comprises three remarkable gardens: the cloister garden, designed by landscape architect Achille Duchêne in 1912, the medieval-inspired 9-square garden created in 2004, and the Potager-Jardin. These green spaces, irrigated by a network of canals laid out by the Cistercian monks, form an exceptional natural setting in the heart of the Oise-Pays de France Regional Nature Park. The 9-square garden features plants used by Hildegarde de Bingen, a 12th-century Benedictine abbess, while the Potager-Jardin invites visitors to discover seasonal vegetables.

The Royaumont Foundation, created in 1964 by Henry and Isabel Goüin, continues its mission as an essential place for creation and sharing, thanks to the support of public partners and patrons. This new 2025-2026 Season marks a new chapter in the history of this abbey which, for nearly eight centuries, has been promoting culture and the living arts through a unique multidisciplinary program combining music, dance, opera and contemporary creations.

The abbey is located at Asnières-sur-Oise in the Val-d'Oise region, some 30 kilometers north of Paris, within easy reach of the capital. It can be reached by public transport via the Luzarches station (line H from Gare du Nord), with free shuttles available every weekend upon reservation. Prices for shows and concerts vary according to the program. To consult the full Royaumont 2025-2026 Season program and book your tickets, visit the official Royaumont Abbey website.

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