Notre-Dame d’Acey Abbey

Parking is available next to the church in Bresilley or a little further on towards the children’s playground.

(S/E) Take Rue des Graviers and leave the village at a leisurely pace. On leaving the village, carry on straight ahead for about 1 km, then take the path on the left at a 90° angle.

(1) Turn sharply right, also at a 90° angle. Then continue along this path until you reach a road: there is little traffic, but do take care when using it.

(2) Carry on straight along this road for about 2 km until you reach the village of Malans.

(3) When you come to the church (currently undergoing renovation), turn left onto Rue de la Reine and then right to carefully make your way down Rue du Bac. Follow the course of the Ognon at a leisurely pace.

(4) Cross the metal bridge and take the tarmac road on the other side. Continue for about 2 km until you reach the village of Thervay. Carry on along the main road (Rue des Malans) until you reach the church and the magnificent Fontaine aux Cygnes.

(5) Walk back a few metres and take the road sloping off to the right, running alongside the church. At the bottom of the village, there is a spot where you can have a picnic.

(6) At the junction, turn right to leave the village and carry on straight on to the castle and the Balançon fish spawning ground.

(7) Turn left onto the tarmac road (ideal for rollerblading), carry on straight ahead for about 1.5 km until you reach the D21.

(8) Turn right, then left, following the signs for “abbaye” to visit this Cistercian abbey.

(9) After your visit and perhaps a picnic break, retrace your steps towards the village of Bresilley.

(8) Cross the bridge over the Ognon. Leave the departmental road and turn left to make your way at a leisurely pace to Bresilley Church (S/E).

Picnic facilities – tables and benches:

• at the bottom of the village of Thervay.
• in front of the abbey, with shade under the trees (9).

Malans, a ‘Town of Art’: a superb contemporary art trail where young and old alike will enjoy a stroll.

Fontaine des Cygnes in Thervay: in a large round basin, beautiful swans with raised wings ‘swim’. The water comes from the Colombier spring, which rises in the Forêt de la Serre, and flows from the beaks of each of the swans. In the centre of the basin stands a short column, on the capital of which rests a cast-iron vase, which, like the three swans, comes from the Baudin forges in Toulouse-le-Château. This foundry left its mark on the industrial and social history of the Jura.

Ruins of Balançon Castle: built in the 13th century by the Lords of Thervay to control the bridge over the river and the crossroads leading to Salins and the Saône, it was one of the most imposing castles in the County of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. It subsequently belonged to Duke Philip the Good, a staunch defender of Countess Mary of Burgundy, which in 1477 led to reprisals by Louis XI, whose troops ransacked his castle at Balançon.

Acey Abbey: a large Cistercian complex founded at Cîteaux, it has been occupied and put to various uses on numerous occasions, but unlike so many other monasteries, Acey Abbey was not demolished.
Today, the community of Notre-Dame d’Acey comprises 19 monks who run an electrolysis workshop.
Part of the church has been renovated using modern concrete with very clean lines; together with the modern stained-glass windows, the overall effect is rather successful.