The Route des Moines through the Morimond Forest

Park at the side of the D139 road near the Sainte-Ursule Chapel.

(S/E) Walk past the Sainte-Ursule Chapel to reach the small road leading to the former abbey.
Walk round the ruins of the old abbey to the south (see section: During the walk). Continue straight on until you reach the edge of the Étang de Morimond (note the site of the old mill).

(1) At the pond, turn right and follow it on your left-hand side. The road soon gives way to a path running alongside the pond. Follow it to a passage between Morimond Pond and the Old Pond. Turning left, cross the wooded embankment and continue along the path which enters the Bois de Morimond, veering right for about fifty metres before turning left and heading straight on towards the east.
After about five hundred metres, the track joins the Route Forestière du Bois de France.

(2) Cross it and continue straight ahead on a forest road that climbs very gently. Further on, the road turns to the right, passes a barrier restricting motor vehicle traffic just before reaching a junction with the Route Forestière de Vaudainvilliers.

(3) Take the road on the left, which bends shortly afterwards and continues eastwards downhill to cross the Flambart, then climbs up the other side of the valley and reaches another barrier with a car park beside it. Pass through the barrier and continue straight on until you reach a T-junction of forest tracks. To the left, nearby, lies the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman settlement.

(4) Take the track on the left-hand side, which leads straight on towards a forest track heading north-west. Pass through the barrier restricting motor vehicle access just before turning left at the junction to head west. After about five hundred metres, the path reaches a clearing and runs along the edge of the woodland on the right-hand side until it reaches a forester’s cottage. From there, the path leads across fields towards the Ferme de Vaudainvilliers (private property), which is about five hundred metres away.

(5) The path gives way to a road leading to the Vaudainvilliers Farm. Follow the small road to a T-junction with the D139. Turn left onto the D139 and follow it carefully. The road soon runs alongside the Morimond State Forest.

(6) After about one hundred and fifty metres, take the path on the right for nearly sixty metres until you reach a forest track. Turn right for about one hundred metres, then left onto the path heading west. At the next crossroads, on the edge of the plateau where the Morimond Forest is situated, turn left onto the path leading down towards the Flambart. At the edge of the woods, turn left before reaching the Flambart. Discover the quarries that supplied the stone for the abbey’s construction. Follow the Flambart until you reach the D139 road.

(7) Take the D139 road, which crosses the Flambart, and you will reach the car park about a hundred metres further on (S/E).

The car park is situated beside the D139 road near the Sainte-Ursule Chapel, at the entrance to the former Morimond Abbey. Alternatively, follow the road towards the Étang de Morimond; there is a large car park on the left, just before the Auberge farmhouse and before the lake.
Access: From Montigny-le-Roi, take the D417 heading east towards Dammartin-sur-Meuse. At the village of Meuse, turn left onto the D429 and continue to Fresnoy-en-Bassigny. Turn left again to take the D139 northwards for 2.5 to 3 km.

This walk across varied terrain requires suitable footwear.

This walk presents no real difficulty in terms of navigation as it is signposted in blue and yellow. In addition, it is advisable to follow the directions in the description and on the map, whilst keeping a close eye on the landscape. The waypoints (with their GPS coordinates and the distance from the starting point) serve as aids for walkers exploring the route for the first time.

This is a reprint of the ‘Route des Moines’ walk guide published by the Bourbonne-les-Bains and Haute-Marne Tourist Office.

Morimond Abbey
Morimond is a former Cistercian abbey,^{the fourth} daughter of Cîteaux, probably founded between 1117 and 1118.
The Association des Amis de Morimond was founded in 1990 under the active chairmanship of Jean Favre. It owns part of the estate. It is a signatory to the European Charter of Cistercian Abbeys and Sites. Its activities are wide-ranging: restoration of the Chapel of Saint Ursula; organisation of symposia (1992: Chaumont; 2003: Langres); annual archaeological excavations since 1994; an annual concert in the chapel; a country-style meal in a venue closely linked to the Abbey (barn, priory); lectures and exhibitions, etc.
Projects: the association is continuing to develop the site: maintenance of the archaeological garden, restoration of its ruins, with the restoration of the gatehouse being a priority, etc.
In 2017, it celebrated the^900th anniversary of the Abbey’s foundation.

Largely destroyed during the Revolution, part of the gatehouse and the Chapel of the Guests – Sainte-Ursule (15th century) – still remain.
The north gatehouse is currently being restored.
A section of the wall of the abbey church (12th century) remains, as does the façade of the library. Furthermore, a U-shaped canal and the ponds created by the monks along the course of the Flambart can still be seen.
Archaeological excavations have revealed the foundations of buildings that are no longer standing. Since 2013, an archaeological garden has been created, featuring ten information panels detailing the excavations carried out.
The site is signposted with modern signage in several languages (French, German, English, Italian).
Source: walking guide published by the Haute-Marne Tourist Office.

Free access all year round (site discovery trail).
Tour available on the free IDVizit app!
To find out more and download the detailed visitor guide:
Source: internet

Fresnoy-en-Bassigny
Places and monuments
Castle, built in the 18th century and listed as a Historic Monument on 9 March 1987.
Morimond Abbey, founded in 1115 or 1117.
Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité, built in the 15th century; sacristy built in the 18th century; listed as a Historic Monument on 23 September 1925.
Sainte-Ursule Chapel, built in the 15th century.
A Roman road runs through the municipal area and, near this road, about 1 km from Fresnoy, lies a small marsh known as la Nonnerie, the bottom of which is paved. In 1839, the remains of buildings still stood near this marsh which, according to tradition, were part of a convent.
Source: Wikipedia (excerpts)