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Lighting Designer
L'Observatoire International Ceramicist
Charles Hair
TAID ANNUAL
Head Architect for Historic Monuments：
Gabor Mester De Parajd（www.gmdp.fr） Photography
Nicolas Matheus（www.matheusphoto.com） David Darrault（www.darraultphoto.com）
The founding concept of the ‘ideal city’ is at the heart of today’s ‘Fontevraud project’, bringing together ideas that might seem unrelated, even contradictory, to create a common theme that relates to the singularity of the site’s history. By constructing a ‘City for living’ here, Fontevraud’s history is assured a future, rather than simply being a site for reflection on the past. The hotel and restaurant are a key part of this vision, bringing with them a sensitivity to our approach. Long planned, the hotel is part of the broader vision for contemporary Fontevraud, a project whose many and varied elements it fully embraces, from cultural dynamism to sustainable development, from digital innovation to a firm sense of welcome and hospitality. We did not ‘simply’ want to open a hotel and restaurant here. Infinitely more substantial, our scope was much larger. Embracing the essence of the place, the project is in part about looking for meaning, in part about creating emotions. An ambitious aim, certainly, almost a dream! A vision commensurate with the entrancing beauty of this abbey and its 1000 years of history.