Prieuré de Chancelade
Just outside Périgueux, in the Dordogne, Chancelade Abbey welcomes retreatants for a time of spiritual retreat, prayer, and renewal with the Canons Regular of Saint-Victor. In this thousand-year-old abbey in the heart of Périgord, visitors can take a few days to step back, join the liturgical offices, and enjoy the peace of the place.
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A thousand-year-old abbey
The history of Chancelade begins in the 11th century around a spring, the fons cancellatus, meaning "protected source" or "hidden fountain," which is said to have given the place its name. Hermits settled there before forming a community living according to the Rule of Saint Augustine.
The abbey flourished greatly in the 12th and 13th centuries, before being severely tested by the wars against England and then the Wars of Religion. In the 17th century, it experienced a true renewal under the impetus of Alain de Solminihac, Abbot of Chancelade and later Bishop of Cahors. He restored the buildings, reformed the community, and helped extend Chancelade's influence well beyond Périgord.
The Revolution abruptly interrupted this history: the religious were expelled and part of the buildings was destroyed. It was not until the 20th century that religious life resumed at Chancelade. In the early 1980s, on the occasion of the beatification of Alain de Solminihac, the Bishop of Périgueux and Sarlat called upon the Canons Regular of Saint-Victor to revive this ancient spiritual "source."
The Canons Regular of Saint-Victor
The Canons Regular of Saint-Victor live according to the Rule of Saint Augustine, which places charity and fraternal life at the heart of religious life.
Founded in 1968 by Father Maurice Bitz, their community is rooted in the heritage of the ancient Abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris, which enjoyed great intellectual and spiritual influence during the Middle Ages.
Both religious and apostolic, the canons share a common life shaped by the offices, prayer, and fraternal time together, while also carrying out various missions in service of the Church: parishes, chaplaincies, teaching, preaching, pilgrimages, and hospitality.
At Chancelade, they thus continue the vocation of the place: to live together, to celebrate, and to welcome all who come seeking a time of peace or deeper spiritual growth.
A living place, open to all
Chancelade is not only a remarkable historic site: the abbey sees itself today as a living place of prayer, encounter, and renewal.
The community welcomes anyone who comes, regardless of their background or faith. Everyone is free to join the offices that mark the rhythm of the day, to meet with a canon, or simply to enjoy the peace of the place and take time to step back.
The Alain de Solminihac Spiritual Center, established in 2000 and led by the canons, extends this mission. Throughout the year, it offers spiritual retreats, conferences, gatherings, and formation sessions to deepen one's faith or enrich one's reflection.
Between its thousand-year history and the daily presence of the community, Chancelade continues today what has been its vocation from the very beginning: to be a source where people can come to draw water and find renewal.
