Situated in the heart of the Corbières mountains, the abbey today boasts a rich array of architecture dating from the 8th to the 18th century, and lived many lives before becoming a CCR.

The medieval abbey of Lagrasse is a cultural centre dedicated to the arts of reading, open to all audiences, young and old, with an interest in heritage, literature and artistic creation. Developed from the Lagrasse Summer Book Banquet, a key event in the cultural life of the Corbières, the artistic and cultural programme of the Cultural Encounter Centre runs throughout the year.

"The arts of reading" is the programmatic title of the Cultural Encounter Centre. This notion invites us to celebrate exercises as diverse as medieval copying, the study of philosophical texts, poetic creation, public readings and debates between writers. In tune with the times, the site has seen a proliferation of practices surrounding the book, reintegrating it into the space of exchange and requiring authors to carry their texts with them. These new practices mean that the relationship between reading, saying and sharing has to be rethought.

The EPCC aims to be a driving force in cultural life. It simultaneously offers a programme of discovery and enhancement of the abbey (tourist visits to the monument, mediation activities) and an artistic, scientific and cultural programme in multi-disciplinary formats: guided tours of the monument, meetings with authors, conferences, workshops, seminars, themed weekends, geological or botanical walks, concerts, radio creation, exhibitions, film screenings, etc.

The CCR Les arts de lire also runs an annual writers' residency programme, enabling writers, researchers and artists to benefit from Lagrasse's setting, which is ideal for writing.

A bookshop, located at the very entrance to the monument, and a literary bistro are open to the public all year round, and are the most active meeting places in local life.