Abbaye val Notre Dame, St Jean de Martha, Canada. Architect: Pierre Thibault, 2010. Visitors retreat quarters, view down hallway

---

Abbaye val Notre Dame is the new home of a small group of Canadian Cistercian monks, located near Quebec City. The building is designed by Pierre Thibault, a Quebec-based architect and artist highly respected for his sensitivity to nature and the environment. The monastery is constructed primarily from wood, with a chapel, monks living quarters and inner cloister. Large windows in the central church and central courtyard, as well as the sensitive use of different types of timber, provide an overwhelming sense of conversation with the surrounding hills and forest.

---

Size: 4730px × 3548px
Location:
Photo credit: © James Brittain-VIEW / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2010, 21st, abbaye, america, architectural, architecture, canada, ceiling, century, cistercian, contemplation, corridor, dalylight, dame, day, de, eco, environmental, fitted, floor, forest, green, image, interior, jean, joinery, light, lighting, linear, linoleum, martha, monastery, natural, nature, north, notre, peaceful, pierre, quebec, recessed, rest, restful, retreat, series, shafts, slit, spiritual, st, sunlight, sunlit, sustainable, thibault, val, view, windows, wood, zen