After first educating young noblewomen, the abbey became a prison and then a barracks. Nowadays, the abbey church, characteristic of the Romanesque Saintonge style, is once again devoted to worship and the site also operates as a Music Centre and stages concerts. In the courtyard, a digital instrumentarium features 24 instruments, while the restored 17C religious buildings house an exhibition related to the site's history. The shop specialises in Romanesque art and baroque music.