All that remains of the Benedictine abbey, founded in the 11th century by Duke Alain III outside the city walls and protected from the 15th century onwards by the mediaeval ramparts, is the 17th-century palace built by the “Laval architects” Tugal Caris and Pierre Corbineau under the helm of Magdeleine de la Fayette.
It currently houses city council offices. In the centre, under the roof, an arched pediment bears the abbey coat of arms, featuring a royal crown and representations of Justice and Peace. The building is illuminated at nightfall, accentuating the harmonious elegance of its high arcades topped with two floors in pale tuffeau stone.