Sainte-Claire Monastery in Nîmes

The Sainte-Claire Monastery in Nîmes is home to a community of Poor Clares, contemplative nuns of the order founded by Saint Clare of Assisi. It is located on rue de Brunswick, in Nîmes, in the Gard department. According to archival records consulted, its founding dates back to the time of Saint Clare herself, in the 13th century. Destroyed by a bombing in 1945, the monastery was rebuilt in 1953.

In 1995, when the community had dwindled to just four religious sisters, twenty-eight Poor Clares from Algiers, threatened by the Armed Islamic Group, came to settle there. They breathed new life into the monastery. The community has since become integrated into the life of the diocese, where it leads a life of prayer, work, and hospitality.