Maison de la Visitation in Tazert
5 min read
In Tazert, a village in Morocco located 60 km east of Marrakech, the Maison de la Visitation sits at the foot of the first hills of the Atlas Mountains. The Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi have run a small guest house of around twenty rooms there since 2019. It is a place of spiritual retreat in Morocco where people come seeking silence, prayer, and simplicity.
The house welcomes individuals and groups alike. Throughout the year, the sisters receive "seekers of God" from many different walks of life, in search of peace, silence, simplicity, and fellowship. Groups may come with their own program. A stay here is also an opportunity to discover the interfaith dimension of the site's history and to better understand how the Christian faith is lived in this country.
The sisters belong to the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Francis, an international institute present in around ten countries across Europe and Africa, with 38 fraternities.
In Tazert, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi
The Tazert fraternity has four sisters, as is often the case in the congregation, of different nationalities: two French sisters and two sisters from West Africa. Their life is built around five pillars: living the Gospel in the spirit of Saint Francis, being sisters to all and especially to the most vulnerable, practicing hospitality, fostering interculturality and dialogue in the spirit of Assisi, and being artisans of peace.
In Tazert, this takes concrete form.One sister works as a nurse at the village dispensary. Every weekday, primary school children come for French tutoring. The community also takes part in village life and welcomes passing guests. Particular attention is given to ecological conversion, with humility: a simple and sober life, close to the land, where praise and prayer for creation have their rightful place.
The history of this place goes back a long way. In 1931, a contemplative Franciscan, Brother Charles-André Poissonnier, settled in a village where Jewish and Muslim families already lived together in peace. He devoted himself to caring for the inhabitants during a typhus epidemic, and died seven years after his arrival. But the "seed" had been sown. Other Franciscans carried on for about forty years. The Melkite Sisters of Rabat, affiliated with the Greek-Melkite rite, then settled there and celebrated the liturgy in Arabic. They continued to provide healthcare, support children's education, and assist families.
After their departure in 2013, due to their advanced age, the monastery lay dormant for six years. In 2019, the house was entrusted to the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi. A seed can take time to sprout, but the olive trees in the garden know something about that: patience always pays off.
Pray with the sisters
Community prayer and meditation on the Word of God shape the rhythm of the fraternity's life, and you are welcome to share in them. Since the sisters have no resident priest, the Eucharist depends on the presence of a visiting priest. Some retreats are led by priests, others by a sister: in the latter case, there are only two or three Masses during the week.
The sisters offer preached retreats(with a Franciscan or biblical focus),eco-spiritual retreats, and an introductory session on Islam and interfaith dialogue.
Spiritual guidance can be offered to you. You may also take part in the activities of the house:
- the garden
- DIY and handiwork
- olive picking
The setting of a retreat at the Maison de la Visitation
The hospitality is simple and unpretentious. The house has 15 single rooms with shower,2 twin rooms with a washroom, and an apartment(one double room, one twin room, a kitchen, and a living room).Sheets and towels are provided.
In terms of shared spaces, you will find a chapel, an oratory, a library, a meeting room, a large reception lounge, and a large garden of olive and pine trees. Groups have access to a dining room and a kitchen. Depending on the number of guests and their preferences, meals are taken in the guest dining room or with the community.
Activities around the Maison de la Visitation, Tazert (Morocco)
The house is secluded, but close to the Marrakech – Demnate road. If you have a vehicle, several sites are within reach:
- Barrage Moulay Youssef: 14 km away.
- Pont naturel d'Iminifri: 42 km away.
- Cascades d'Ouzoud: 75 km away.
- Marrakech: 60 km away, with its history, architecture, palm groves, and the Agafay Desert. You can also meet the Franciscan friars there!
Depending on rainfall, the surrounding landscape can be quite arid, with mountains and hills. The Maison de la Visitation itself is an oasis of greenery. Hiking in the mountains is the main activity: there are no restaurants, cinemas, or swimming pools here, only the essentials.
