Port Royal des Champs

Southwest of Paris are the remains of this important 13th C Cistercian abbey - Port Royal des Champs, which has associations with Pascal and Racine. This center of Jansenism (a Catholic reform movement directed against the Jesuits) was destroyed in 1710-1712 on the orders of Louis XIV. The building known as the Petites Ecoles now houses the Musée National des Granges (history of Jansenism).