Abbaye-école de Sorèze

Family riddles at the Cité de Sorèze

Amélie, Bruno and their sons Achille and Nils are ready to tackle the riddles of Cité de Sorèze. This monumental building of 25,000 m² is the setting for three areas to be explored with the whole family using games! A renowned school, Dom Robert tapestries and a wonderful park form the backdrop to this quest. Children are more motivated than ever: on your marks? Ready? Play!

Cour des rouges de l'Abbaye-école de Sorèze

The School, an adventure

The boys are equipped with tablets. Nils and Achilles are delighted. The game character introduces himself: "I am Devic, a former student of the 18th century school. The boys have a mission: to help Devic to find the pages of a book thanks to riddles scattered around the museum. From then on, the boys become real adventurers in short pants. On the ball! Bruno and Amélie are just as excited to experience these moments together. Let's get started!

A grandiose setting

The family starts the adventure and travels through grandiose spaces of the Cité de Sorèze. La Cour des Rouges (courtyard) exhibits its elegant arches and monumental facades. A showcase displays the students' uniforms in military style, enhanced by golden buttons. Further on, Salle des Illustres and its frescoes reveal busts of the most famous students. The smallness of the students' cells and their spartan furniture leaves no one indifferent. The old photos illustrate the past life of the students: 'wine at the table! Did you have wine in the lunch room, Dad?' The riddles fall like flies. Mission accomplished! The boys are proud as if they were Arthaban.

Illustres de l'Abbaye-école de Sorèze
Parc de l'Abbaye-école de Sorèze

A breath of fresh air

The quartet invades the park of the Cité de Sorèze. The trees are real giants with their tentacular branches. A pond stretches over 50m in length. The water from the Montagne Noire is very refreshing. It is the oldest school swimming pool in France! The garden is planted with polychrome flowerbeds. This mosaic adorns an esplanade where the boys discover the games played by children at the time. This bucolic place lends itself perfectly to rest. Amélie and her suite take a seat in this informal school for lunch.

Aces of As

Reinvigorated, the four sidekicks are requisitioned by Les As de la Jungle in Dom Robert Museum. These cartoon heroes need help. Vladimir their enemy has ransacked the museum. The boys are galvanised. Recolour this tapestry, rebuild the loom... The hunt takes place in the colourful and poetic world of Dom Robert's tapestries. The gigantic size of these masterpieces makes Achille and his brother look like elves. The family savours the tapestries with their eyes: the colours are intense and bright, the animals have a lively gaze, and there are many hidden details. Lushness is king. Vladimir was no match for such opponents. Mission accomplished!

The children and their parents are invited to take a photo in the museum. This is the souvenir photo with Maurice, Junior and the whole team of Les As de la Jungle. The whole family had a great time during their visit here at Cité de Sorèze. The boys have only one thing to look forward to: "When are we going back there with the cousins?

As de la jungle jeu
statue de Louis XVI

How to be smart in society

  • "Nearer my God to Thee" : Reverend Father Marie-Dominique Ligonnet (1832-1917) wrote the music of this famous Christian song.
     
  • All his head: It is in the 6ha park of the Cité de Sorèze that you will find one of the only complete statues of Louis XVI. It is located at the level of the riding school.

Festival Musique des Lumières

Cité de Sorèze hosts a festival of classical music and jazz renowned throughout the region. The festival ends with a concert by the Orchestre National du Capitole. The programme is varied and accessible. Several concert evenings with outdoor meals are organised.

cour des rouges cité de sorèze

The whole story

A religious seminary was created in 1682. The school opened to the public in the 18th century. The management proposed a system of options that were very original for the time: music, drawing, foreign languages, sports, etc. The school acquired a fame that reached the capital.
Louis XVI made Sorèze one of the 12 royal military schools in the kingdom. Cavalry and infantry officers were trained, and even those of the royal navy thanks to a swimming pool. The school closed during the Revolution. It reopened after the Revolution. It remained a private school until 1978. At that time, the school allowed girls as well. The heavy maintenance of the monument classified in 1853 led to the closure of the institution.