A fire on Sunday tore through the ancient monastery of Mont-Dieu, destroying the centuries-old French heritage site's main building, the local mayor and firefighters told AFP.

Anne Fraipont, mayor of the nearby village of Tannay-le-Mont-Dieu, lamented the death of a monastery she called the "Notre-Dame of the Ardennes", which gained historic monument status in 1946.

"There was a lot of wood in this building," said Fraipont. "There is no longer a roof, no longer a floor, only the walls remain."

Nearby walkers sounded the alarm after seeing the smoke on Sunday morning, said Fraipont. The causes of the fire remain unknown.

Firefighters rushed to the scene at 10:00 am (0900 GMT), and had managed to get the blaze under control before 4:00 pm, according to the Ardennes fire and rescue servic

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