Abbey Wine Cellar In Saint-Jean-d` Aulps, Haute-Savoie Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Aulps Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located at an altitude of 810 metres in the village of Saint-Jean-d`Aulps in the Aulps Valley in the French Alps. This historical monument is a major Cistercian site in the Haute Savoie region for almost seven hundred years, from its foundation in the 1090s to its suppression in 1793. The church was partially destroyed in 1823 for its stones, but the superb 13th century façade remains standing. The abbey`s wine was stored in three vaulted south-facing cellars. Levels of consumption were high but the wine had a low alcohol content and only a short shelf-life. It came from the abbey`s properties situated near Cluses, Thonon, Geneva and the more remote Salins. The cellars also had an elaborate drainage and cleaning system.