There is a marvellous view down to the Abbaye de Bec-Hellouin as you enter the village from the south on the D39, its creamy 18thC buildings nestling in the lush valley, and the sturdy grey 15thC Tour de Saint-Nicolas rising out of the chestnut trees. Herluin, a young knight from Brionne, founded the first monastery here in 1034, where he was joined by a brilliant Italian scholar, Lefranc, who became a trusted advisor to Duke William of Normandy (‘The Conquerer’). Under William’s patronage, the abbey became one of the great centres of Christian learning in the 11th-12thC, and forged strong links with the English church, sending its disciples to Winchester, Westminster, and, most notably, the philosopher-theologian Anselm to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

The old abbey church was destroyed in the Revolution, and its monks dispersed, until the Benedictine order returned in 1948. Some 26 monks still rattle around the remaining buildings. The 18thC refectory has been converted into a simple church, where Herluin’s sarcophagus lies sunk beneath the altar. The guided tours (in French; closed Tues) are long and fairly tedious, but if you catch one up in the church, follow it into the cloister (only open for tours).