Solesmes, village (1993 est. pop. 1,284), Sarthe dept., NW France. Its famous Benedictine Abbey de Saint-Pierre de Solesmes (founded 1010) was a pilgrimage site and led in the revival of the pure Gregorian chant (see plainsong). The abbey church contains invaluable 15th- and 16th-century sculptures.

Solesmes is a small town and commune of the Sarthe département, in France, located near Sablé.

The commune is almost entirely agricultural, but is especially noted as the site of the Benedictine St. Peter's Abbey, originally founded in 1010 and re-established by Dom Prosper Guéranger in 1833. A second abbey for women, St. Cecilia's Abbey, is also located here.

External links

• St. Peter's Abbey official website
• A complete and practical method of the Solesmes plain chant Cornell University Library Historical Monographs Collection. {Reprinted by} Cornell University Library Digital Collections