St Michael's Abbey

Abbaye Saint-Michel - Chapelle impériale

Built by Empress Eugénie de Montijo in the 1880s, the abbey's main attraction is its typically French Flamboyant Neo-Gothic chapel, beneath which lie Napoleon III, his wife and their son, Louis Napoléon Eugène. The abbey is home to a small community of Benedictine (Roman Catholic) monks, and also houses a relic of St Alban. The guided tour involves a visit to the chapel, grounds and imperial crypt. The mass and vespers, sung in Latin Gregorian chant, are an unusual experience. The tiny shop stocks handmade religious memorabilia, local history books printed by the abbey press, and produce from the monks' farm.

• Heritage listed

• history
• family

Address

280 Farnborough Road, GU14 7NQ

Getting there

when travelling S on F'boro Rd, turn L at Abbey House, immediately after the Ham and Blackbird roundabout (close to Farnborough (Main) Railway Station); you must wait at the entrance until 2:50PM, when the gates will swing open automatically; when travelling north, go right around the roundabout

Hours

Public guided tours: Sat 3PM, private tours by appointment; mass Mon-Sat 8AM, Sun 9AM, vespers 4:45PM; shop closed during the pandemic, but open online

Price

Tours £5 pp minimum donation; children free

Website

farnboroughabbey.org (opens in a new tab)