The Kitchens / Salmon Smokehouse , Fontevrault Abbey, Near Chinon, Anjou , Loire Valley, France - pictured before restoration (before the chimneys were added back on). The byzantine kitchens, built in Charente stone are an architectural peculiarity of the Royal Abbey, built in octagonal form, its roof prickling with pointy chimneys and fish-scale slating, providing much debate for architectural historians. Within, fish (mostly salmon, then abundant in the Loire) was prepared, constituting the nuns? staple diet.