The oratory will be what its name indicates: the monks will neither do nor place anything there that does not have a rapport with prayer. Once the divine office has been finished, all will leave in silence, and in doing so give witness to their respect of God. In this way, the brother who desires to pray in private will not be bothered by the others.

In 1864, Dom Guéranger decided to make a major addition to the abbey church on account of the growing size of his community. The new choir was added to the end of the church, extending it almost a third of its original size. It is a remarkably succesful copy of the 15th century chapel of Saint-Serge at Angers.

To the left of the main altar, close to the abbot's choirstall is Our Lady of the Lily, a 14th century wooden statue under which are placed the relics of the saints of each day.

Saint Benedict's statue stands to the right of the altar. It was commisioned by Dom Guéranger and carved in linden wood by a bavarian sculptor