Solesmes

Related Category: French Political Geography

(sôlĕm´), 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.