A famous legend rose up around the fountain in the abbey grounds ; that after the infertile King Louis IX and his wife Marguerite of Provence were invited by St Thibault to drink the water at this miraculous fountain , they went on to have eleven children .
The Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay is now run as a luxury hotel and function centre , although you can visit the ruins and the fountain and walk around the lake at your leisure ( it ’ s free during the week ).
On Sundays there are guided tours of the grounds . If you ’ re looking for some fine
French dining , take your seat amongst the vaulted arches in the restored priory which is now La Table du Prieur .
Or indulge yourself on a Sunday , prior to your guided tour , with an extravagant Buffet déjeuner brunch in the former cloister building .