Founded in 910, the Abbey of Cluny enjoyed exceptional influence and renown throughout Christian Europe. 1,200 religious establishments depended on the Abbey and 10,000 monks resided there. The Abbey church's architecture had to be in keeping with this mighty religious order. In twenty years' time, from 1088 to 1109, the Abbot Saint Hugues accomplished an unbelievably bold plan.
This is a list of Benedictine monasteries, extant and non-extant, in the present territory of France.It includes both monks and nuns following the Rule of Saint Benedict, excluding the Cistercians, for whom see List of Cistercian monasteries in France.Some monasteries however belonged at various times in their histories to both the Benedictines and the Cistercians.