Built on the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, the Saint-Michel abbey quickly became the lung of Gaillac, with a port for shipping wine to Bordeaux. Today, it remains a benevolent witness to the history of the city. There you will discover a museum covering the history of the vineyard, the tasting cellar of the Maison des Vins and the Ampelographe, a temporary wine bar that takes up residence there every summer. In its gardens overlooking the Tarn, aperitif concerts liven up Fridays in July and August.
The abbey, the economic lung of the city
In 972 the Bishop of Albi granted an estate to the Benedictines with the mission of founding a abbey. It was on the banks of the Tarn, on the ruins of an ancient Gallo-Roman villa that they built it. Quickly, the wine-growing activity took off considerably, contributing to the economic development and cultural influence of the city in France and Europe.
Although Gaillac escaped the disasters of the Albigensian Crusade, the city was not spared by the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. Once again, the wine trade contributed to its revival. The Abbey of Saint-Michel was rebuilt in the 100e and 17e centuries, before the French Revolution sounded the death knell of its ecclesiastical history.
The Saint-Michel Abbey Museum
From the Saint-Michel bridge, the view of the abbey overlooking the Tarn is magnificent. Its ochre tones and red brick symbolise the identity of the town and blend beautifully with the light of the setting sun. Housed in the vaulted cellars that were once used to age Gaillac wines in barrels, the abbey museum traces the shared history of Gaillac, its vineyard and its church, from the Gallo-Roman era to the present day.
The Gaillac Wine House at the Abbey
Tastings all year round
At the heart of the abbey, more than a hundred wines await you! Tastings, advice... The Maison des vins is a unique place to discover the vineyard and its wines. Reds, whites, rosés, sweet, sparkling, early and late harvests: the Gaillac vineyard offers a wide range of wines that will surprise any wine lover. The Maison des vins can also be the starting point for a tour of the vineyard in a 2CV (a unique experience to savor wines and landscapes) or a tasting and oenology course.
Summer aperitif concerts
All Friday evenings in July and August, it is the idyllic setting of the Abbey gardens that opens its doors to you. Far from liturgical chants, the atmosphere is one of good humor and relaxation around a tasting of local wines. Colored parasols, lanterns, a platform and a parquet floor… The tone is set! No ceremony, it is the opportunity to meet winemakers and share in all simplicity their passion for their land. A rock, blues, salsa group… livens up the evening and accompanies this festive mood, characteristic of the mild summer evenings in Gaillac.
