Abbaye de Trizay — Charente-Maritime

A wedding in Trizay’s Romanesque priory

Abbaye de Trizay offers wedding-space hire at 3 allée de Chizé, Trizay, Charente-Maritime. Founded around the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, this former Benedictine priory combines Romanesque architecture, a courtyard and a contemporary reception room. It overlooks the Arnoult valley, approximately 12 km from Rochefort and 20 km from Saintes. This is the Charente-Maritime venue, not the abbey of the same name in Bournezeau, Vendée.

Michel Doublet room and indoor backup

Opened in 2024, the Michel Doublet room provides 230 m² with a timber-vaulted ceiling, parquet floor, large windows overlooking an ornamental garden and access to the courtyard. The 2025–2026 brochure lists 160 banquet or theatre seats, 100 classroom seats, 70 in a U-shape and 200 standing guests. Its 70 m² atrium accommodates 70 standing guests and can provide reception or buffet space in wet weather. Equipment includes Wi-Fi, a projector, microphones, sound-system connections, stage lighting, adjustable coloured lighting and dimmer, blackout curtains and toilets. Confirm the technical setup and equipment actually booked.

Courtyard, octagon and historic rooms

The official wedding offer limits the courtyard to 500 people for a symbolic ceremony, cocktail reception or outdoor meal. The 2025–2026 brochure specifies a 2,100 m² courtyard and a 530 m² outdoor church octagon, with 475 banquet places in the latter configuration. These layout capacities are not additive. The 45 m² chapter house accommodates 60 standing guests; its multi-lobed arches and vaults can also frame a buffet or games area. The 115 m² historic refectory has vaults and wall paintings; capacity depends on layout and must be confirmed. The separate 100 m² longère is advertised for 80 banquet or 130 standing guests.

Ceremony, furniture and organisation

A symbolic ceremony can take place in the courtyard or 12th-century rooms, followed by drinks and dinner in the booked spaces. Use of the historic rooms does not establish permission for a legally binding civil or religious ceremony. Setup is available from the previous day, and tables and chairs are supplied. The 2025–2026 inventory distinguishes 101 folding red-velvet indoor chairs, 160 red-velvet chairs reserved for Michel Doublet, 206 black plastic chairs and 139 beige plastic chairs for indoor/outdoor use. Tables comprise nine 204 × 73 cm wooden rectangular tables for 6–10 people, twenty-eight 183 × 75 cm plastic rectangular tables for 6–8, fifteen wooden round tables of 140 cm diameter for seven, twenty plastic round tables of 152 cm diameter for eight reserved for Michel Doublet, and seven high tables. Agree the stock allocated to your reception; chair totals are not guest capacities.

Free catering choice and professional kitchen

The venue is hired without compulsory catering. Recommended caterers, DJs, photographers, florists, decorators and planners can be suggested without an obligation to choose them. Michel Doublet’s kitchen comprises 51 m² of preparation space and a 16 m² washing-up area, totalling 67 m². It has two 430-litre Fagor refrigerators, a freezer, hot cupboard, electric oven, Capic range and dishwasher. Ten 220 V sockets and two outdoor three-phase outlets are advertised, with separate rear access. Arrange menus, drinks, quantities, allergies, diets, children’s meals and service with the caterer. An external cake is possible by agreement with the caterer; the wedding information consulted advertises no venue surcharge. Bringing drinks is possible, but no current corkage charge is established.

Four holiday cottages for 28 guests

The four cottages sleep 28 in total and can be booked by the night, weekend or week. Rosa has two bedrooms for four people on the ground floor of a 17th-century house. Lilium has three bedrooms for six upstairs. Artémisia, also upstairs, sleeps ten using three bedrooms and a living-room sofa bed. Abélia is a separate eight-person house with three upstairs bedrooms, a living-room sofa bed, open kitchen, ground-floor bathroom, two toilets, private garden and covered terrace. Three cottages have two Clévacances keys; the current website gives Abélia three keys. Equipped kitchens, television, free Wi-Fi and parking complete the offer. A high chair and travel cot are available on request, and well-behaved pets are accepted. Overnight stays are not assumed to be included in room hire.

Accessibility, arrival and facilities

The site is partly accessible: reserved parking, a gentle slope to reception, an assistance bell, adapted counter and accessible reception toilets. Most ground-floor areas are accessible and a portable ramp can be installed on request. Check upper floors and each reception or cottage route individually. Easy-read documents, pictograms, a tactile model, a reception hearing loop and a subtitled film are also advertised for visitors. Road access is via the D733 from Rochefort, or the D137 and Beurlay from Saintes. La Rochelle is listed as 47 km away and Royan as 30 km. This listing’s map marks the Michel Doublet reception building within the site; request arrival and caterer unloading instructions.

Budget, hours and contract

Hire is quoted individually. Wedding information consulted in October 2026 gives an indicative €4,000–€5,000 range, including €4,500 for two days, to reconfirm by date and booked areas. It establishes neither a per-guest price nor included meals or accommodation; confirm the applicable year and taxes. Older marquee arrangements with different areas are not applied to the current offer. Furniture and previous-day setup are advertised; itemise heating, lighting, technical support, cleaning and dismantling times in the quotation. An advance at signature is required, without a confirmed amount. Wedding information updated in August 2026 advertises a 5am finish the following day; agree music, outdoor times, brunch and overtime in the contract. Visitor hours and ticket prices are not wedding-hire hours or prices.

Arrange a visit and a precise quotation

Request a layout for each part of the day: ceremony, drinks, meal, dancing, children’s space and wet-weather backup. The courtyard’s 500-person capacity does not establish equivalent indoor capacity: Michel Doublet seats 160 and other rooms retain their individual limits. The team also hosts meetings, seminars, conferences, birthdays, visits and cultural activities; public programming does not establish private availability. Official contact: contact@abbayedetrizay17.fr, +33 5 46 82 34 25. Photographs show the historic building in 2013 and the refectory and chapter house in 2022; they do not show the new Michel Doublet room or a current wedding setup.

Photographic credits

GO69 — CC BY-SA 3.0 ; Wikimedia Commons ; Licence. Resized and converted to WebP; adaptations retain the same licence.

GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Wikimedia Commons ; Licence. Resized and converted to WebP; adaptations retain the same licence.

GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Wikimedia Commons ; Licence. Resized and converted to WebP; adaptations retain the same licence.