Virtual tour with AVA

Launched in July 2022 at Maubuisson Abbey, the interactive audio tour called ‘AVA, Virtual Archaeology Assistant’ takes you on a journey between reality and fiction amid the ruins of Maubuisson.

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  • Visite virtuelle (AVA)

    Accompanied by a mysterious amnesiac character and AVA, an artificial intelligence with a passion for history, you will unravel the last mysteries of the underground passages of Maubuisson Abbey. Revisiting the codes of ‘choose your own adventure’ stories, AVA invites you to enjoy a unique audio experience at the heart of history in the grounds of Maubuisson Abbey. In this interactive experience, you will become a character in this playful plot full of surprises, to be enjoyed with family, friends or on your own. Ready to embark on an archaeological adventure at the boundaries of reality and fiction?

The experience takes place on site, directly in the grounds of Maubuisson Abbey. The trail is accessible at all times, even outside the abbey’s opening hours.
To access it, go to the “starting point” sign located after the main entrance to the park, on the path leading to the abbey, where you can scan a QR code to access the trail.

  • An immersive and historical experience

    From the 13th to the 18th century, Maubuisson Abbey was home to up to 120 nuns. Over the course of these 550 years, 31 abbesses succeeded one another, living through the most turbulent periods of their time: the Hundred Years’ War from 1328, the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the Great Plague of 1248, etc. Today, only the eastern wing of Maubuisson Abbey remains. The rest of the building has been destroyed and is no longer visible. The abbey is rich in its absences: where buildings once stood, visitors now stroll through the park. Thanks to sound reconstructions and re-enactments of scenes from everyday life, this invisible heritage is brought back to life. The sound allows visitors to fully experience the rich past of the abbey. The sound reconstructions and the evocation of the places conjure up the imagination and bring the buildings that have now disappeared back to life. The history of the abbey is told in a sensitive and playful way: the daily life of the nuns who lived there, its status as a royal residence and necropolis of the monarchy, its many lives since the end of religious activities, etc.

Duration of the tour: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
Suitable for all ages
Free access to the park: every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from 1 April to 10 October and from 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. from 11 October to 31 March
Bring a smartphone and headphones (headphones are not available on site)
Free.

This audio tour was produced by Le Crabe Fantôme and Akken.
Writing and dramaturgy: Jérôme Fihey and Laurence Giuliani
Sound design: Martin Gracineau
Musical composition: Ludovic Finck
With the voices of: Virginie Bourget, Marie Constant, Gabriel Fihey, Sébastien Landry, Pascaline Marot, Anne Pia, Simon Poulain, Jérémy Sanaghéal.
Technological development: Vincent Guérin
Graphic design: Karim Douis

AVA and the nuns
Like the audio tour, the touchscreen table AVA and the nuns offers a journey between reality and fiction amid the ruins of the abbey. This year, AVA is available on a touchscreen table to tell you the story of Maubuisson through its illustrious abbesses. Archive images and photographs of previously unseen excavations complete your historical discoveries.

Touchscreen table freely accessible in the chapter house during opening hours. Open to all. Free of charge.