Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - France - July 10 2021: Lavender fields at the Monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausole, Saint-Rémy.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - France - July 10 2021: Lavender fields at the Monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausole, Saint-Rémy.
1369605560
abbey, aroma, building, country, countryside, culture, field, floral, fragrance, french, historical, landmark, landscape, lavender, lavender fields, provence, relax, rock, ruin, rural, scenic, stone, traditional, typical, view, violet

Getty Images

Monastère St-Paul de Mausole

Top choice


This monastery turned asylum is famous for one of its former residents – the ever-volatile Vincent van Gogh, who admitted himself in 1889. Safe within the monastery's cloistered walls, Vincent enjoyed his most productive period, completing 150-plus drawings and around 150 paintings, including his famous Irises. A reconstruction of his room is open to visitors, as are a Romanesque cloister and gardens growing flowers that feature in his work.

From the monastery entrance, a walking trail is marked by colour panels, showing where the artist set up his easel.

St-Paul remains a psychiatric institution: an exhibition room sells artwork created by patients. It's about 1.5km south of town along the D5.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Musée Estrine

0.76 MILES

Modern and contemporary art exhibitions fill a beautiful 18th-century hôtel particulier (private mansion). There's also a recently expanded interpretation…

2. Site Archéologique de Glanum

0.77 MILES

It might lack the scale and ambition of some of Provence's better-known Roman monuments, but for a glimpse into everyday life in Gaul, this ancient town…

3. Musée des Alpilles

0.82 MILES

An engaging little museum chronicling the area’s rich heritage, with fossils, dinosaur remains and other archaeological curiosities, as well as displays…

4. Hôtel de Sade

0.84 MILES

Reopened after an expensive program of renovations, this impressive Renaissance hôtel particulier was built in 1513 by Balthazar de Sade (ancestor of the…

5. Carrières de Lumières

2.73 MILES

Inside the chilly galleries of a former limestone quarry, this peculiar but intriguing attraction is like an underground audiovisual art gallery, with…

6. Château des Baux

3.01 MILES

Crowning the village of Les Baux, these dramatic, maze-like ruins date from the 10th century. The clifftop castle was largely destroyed in 1633, during…

7. Château de Tarascon

9.22 MILES

The mighty walls of the 15th-century Château de Tarascon rise straight out of the River Rhône, in the relaxed village of the same name. A beauty of a…

8. Porte de la République

11.49 MILES

Porte de la République is one of the gateways to Avignon's walled city, located on the southern edge of the walls, and across from the central train…