The Abbaye aux Dames is the finest example of the Saintonge Romanesque style — the distinctive school of 11th and 12th-century church architecture found across this part of western France, characterised by elaborately carved limestone facades in which every surface is covered with intricate interlaced foliage, figures, and geometric patterns. The west facade here is outstanding, a composition of arched niches filled with carved figures that rewards close examination.
The abbey church has been carefully restored and is open to visitors. The cloister and conventual buildings, though altered by their 19th-century use as a military barracks, still give a sense of the abbey's scale. The abbey regularly hosts classical music concerts as part of the Abbaye aux Dames festival, which takes place over several days in early summer and draws musicians from across France.