Val des Choues Abbey: hunting heritage and spirituality in the forest

In brief: Val des Choues Abbey is a 12th-century Cistercian abbey set deep in the Châtillon forest. Today it houses a museum of hunting with hounds, a pack of around 150 hounds and guest rooms. The 4pm hound feeding is the highlight of the visit.

South-west of Châtillon-sur-Seine, hidden in a wooded valley in the heart of the Châtillon state forest, the former Val des Choues Abbey is a unique place where monastic history and French hunting tradition meet. The site combines Cistercian heritage, a hunting museum and hound breeding, all within a preserved forest setting that attracts nature and history lovers alike.

The Cistercian abbey in the heart of the forest

Founded in the 12th century (1193), Val des Choues Abbey is a typical Cistercian foundation in its location and architecture: an isolated valley, crossed by a stream, deep in a dense forest of oaks and beeches. The community followed the rule of the Order of Val-des-Choux, which blended Benedictine, Cistercian and Carthusian customs, before being attached to the Cistercian order in 1761. The monks led a life of prayer and work, exploiting the forest and agricultural resources of the estate.

Protected by the Dukes of Burgundy, the abbey prospered until the French Revolution, when it was sold as state property and partially dismantled. Its stones were used as a quarry for surrounding buildings. In the 19th century, private owners bought the ruins and undertook a gradual restoration. Now listed as a Historic Monument, the abbey preserves several remarkable buildings: the travellers’ chapel, the guesthouse, workshops and the famous echo room with its exceptional acoustic properties.

What makes Val des Choues special is that it has maintained a living connection with the surrounding forest: unlike most abbeys that have become museums or cultural venues, this one remains inhabited and animated by a traditional activity - hunting with hounds.

The pack of hounds and the Val des Choues hunting pack

The main attraction of Val des Choues is its pack of around 150 hounds, housed in kennels installed in the abbey’s former buildings. The hounds - mainly grand Anglo-French tricolours - are the actors of the Val des Choues hunting pack, led by Michel Monot.

Every day, especially at weekends and in July-August, the feeding of the pack takes place around 4pm: the 150 hounds are fed simultaneously in an impressive spectacle of barking and canine energy. Visitors can watch this unique moment, filmed and photographed.

The pack practises wild boar hunting with hounds over the forest territory around the abbey, in compliance with the rules of the National Forest Park whose zone is nearby. Hunting is practised without firearms: the hounds drive the animal towards the huntsmen. This tradition, one of the oldest in French hunting with hounds, dates back to the Middle Ages.

A museum of hunting with hounds presents the history and techniques of this practice, with a collection of equipment, trophies and historical documents.

The animal park and forest trails

Around the abbey, the Val des Choues park extends into the Châtillon forest. Marked trails allow you to walk through this 9,000-hectare forest massif, one of the largest in Côte-d’Or. The forest is home to a rich fauna: deer, roe deer, wild boar, foxes and many forest birds.

Although Val des Choues is not an animal park in the classic sense, visitors can observe the hounds in their kennels and encounter wildlife during forest walks. Mushroom pickers will find chanterelles, porcini and black trumpets in the surrounding undergrowth in autumn.

The Châtillon forest is also excellent for hiking, with several marked circuits starting from the abbey or nearby villages such as Villiers-le-Duc. In autumn, the deer rutting season attracts nature lovers: the woods resonate with the calls of stags marking their territory for reproduction. It is an impressive sound spectacle, accessible from the trails that radiate from the abbey.

How to visit Val des Choues

The abbey is open from April to mid-November (daily in July-August, with variable hours outside the season). Admission grants access to the museum of hunting with hounds, the gardens, the kennels and the park. The hound feeding around 4pm is included in the visit. It is advisable to call ahead to confirm the times.

The abbey also offers guest rooms and a gîte, allowing you to spend a night in this unique forest setting. The guest table can be reserved for evening meals.

Val des Choues is located about 10 km south-west of Châtillon-sur-Seine, accessible via the departmental road from Villiers-le-Duc. It lies at the heart of the Châtillon forest, described on the dedicated page, and provides an excellent introduction to discovering this emblematic forest massif of northern Côte-d’Or.

Practical information

Access and opening hours

The abbey is accessible by car only, via the forest road. Parking is free. Allow 1h30 to 2 hours for the full visit: abbey, museum, kennels and forest walk. If you attend the hound feeding (4pm), plan your arrival accordingly. The hounds are in enclosures and pose no danger to visitors. A visit to the museum of hunting with hounds, which traces the history of hunting in Burgundy through collections of equipment and historical documents, completes the discovery. History enthusiasts will also appreciate the travellers’ chapel and the echo room, authentic remnants of Cistercian monastic life.