Argoules: Valloires Abbey, Gardens and Village History

Argoules offers three distinct themes for a stay: Valloires Abbey and garden art, architectural and natural heritage, and the Circuit de Valloires. If you’re looking for a hotel in Argoules, this breakdown can help you decide whether architecture, gardens, or a walk through the countryside and village should be the focus of your stay.

Valloires Abbey and Garden Art

Valloires Abbey was founded in 1138. The interior can only be visited as part of a guided tour. The church, cloister, sacristy, chapter house and grand salon are accessible on the tour. If you’d like to see these rooms, plan around the tour and check the current times in advance. Architecturally, the abbey combines a simple design with Baroque furnishings, particularly in the abbey church and sacristy. This brings restrained architecture and Baroque furnishings together in the same complex—a concrete point of reference if you’re interested in architectural styles and interiors during a cultural trip.

The Jardins de Valloires add a distinct focus. Landscape architect Gilles Clément designed the gardens, which hold the “Jardin remarquable” distinction. Five themed gardens feature more than 5,000 species across eight hectares. Their thematic layout and size offer two further aspects to explore: the design and the scale of the gardens. They’re also a starting point for cycling and walking trips to major sights in the Baie de Somme and the Authie Valley. This makes it possible to distinguish between two scales of trip planning: the landscaped gardens themselves and excursions to sights in the two regions.

A Walk Through Argoules

The Circuit de Valloires is a rural walking route of about eight kilometres around Argoules, entirely within the commune. It crosses the plateau above the abbey and gardens, as well as the village. Along the way are the church, Château d’Argoules, the Gros Tilleul lime tree and the chapel. By linking the plateau and village, the Circuit offers a distinct walking option: you can combine the countryside above the gardens with historic features of the village. This sets the Circuit apart from a tour of the abbey: it is a rural walking route, while the abbey’s rooms are accessible only as part of a guided tour.

Château and Natural Monument

Château d’Argoules adds two building phases to the history of the village. It was built in the 16th century and substantially altered in the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic style. Listed as a historic monument are the façades and roofs, the raised north terrace and its staircase, and the interior staircase; the listing is based on the decree of 23 September 2009. This makes it possible to consider the original building phase, the later Neo-Gothic alterations and the specific listed parts of the château separately. The Gros Tilleul lime tree in Argoules adds a natural feature: it is a natural monument, listed as a historic botanical monument, and has been protected since 1934. The château’s focus is on its building phases and protected architectural features, while the lime tree is a natural monument.

Discover more destinations: Le Petit Chemin, Saint-Léger-Sur-Bresle, L’étoile, Nesle, Gamaches, Roye, Longavesnes, Suzanne.

For the overview of the wider region: Somme.