Carmel of Christ the King in Saint-Sever
Welcome to Les Landes! The Carmel of Christ the King in Saint-Sever, delightfully nestled atop a small hill, keeps watch in prayer and community life.
The religious sisters welcome young women eager to discover monastic life! Sessions are organized several times throughout the year to meet the sisters and share their daily life for a weekend.
Come discover the Carmel, "a space of solitude and silence where one can seek God more freely"!
Retreats organized by the community
Carmel of Christ the King, a verdant monastery in Les Landes
The monastery of Christ the King in Saint-Sever was founded on October 27, 1931 by Mother Anne of Jesus, originally from the Carmel of Compiègne, who, because of the war, joined the Carmel of Bordeaux in exile in Spain in 1917. When part of the community returned to Bordeaux, she remained in Zarauz, Spain, until the beginning of the revolutionary troubles that forced the sisters to take refuge in France. She finally entrusted the new foundation to the Sacred Heart.
The hill allows the religious sisters to enjoy a large verdant walking area with varied landscapes: meadows, undergrowth and wooded slopes, small pond and stream... as well as wild fauna (deer, wild boar...) and domestic animals (sheep, goats). The beauty of creation, a continual source of wonder, along with the atmosphere of solitude it emanates, supports the contemplative life of the Carmelites!
Meeting the Carmelite nuns of Saint-Sever monastery
In faithfulness to the spirit of Saint Teresa of Avila, the small fraternal community offers today its prayer and its life for the Church and for the world. The Carmelites' days are marked by liturgical prayer, personal mental prayer, manual work, and moments of community gathering.
Saint Teresa of Avila wanted the sisters to support and enrich one another in a climate of charity marked by cheerfulness and spontaneity, spiritual freedom and affability. In short, the sisters try to pray a lot and be super nice!
Each sister therefore develops her talents in service of the community as well as in different workshops allowing us to earn our living: mosaic on leather (in the great tradition of art bookbinding), making devotional scapulars, mailing publications for the Conference of Bishops of France...
Discovering the origin and history of the Order of Carmel
The Order of Carmel takes its name and origins from Mount Carmel, located in the extension of Haifa Bay, in Israel... It is cited many times in the Bible because the prophet Elijah lived there, according to tradition, with other disciples. Spiritually attached to this saint, hermits settled on this Mount in the Middle Ages, thirsting for God, seeking Him in solitude and silence.
Around 1206, the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel requested a Rule of Life from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Albert: this is the first official trace we have of the Order. Following the invasions in the Holy Land, these hermits returned to the West and became a mendicant order, combining contemplative life and apostolate. In the 15th century, pious ladies or beguines, desiring to live the spirituality of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, gathered in monasteries. They became the first Carmelites!
The history of Teresa of Avila and the Discalced Carmelites
The first Carmelite convents, following wars and epidemics, became significantly lax... sometimes living in very large numbers, following only a mitigated rule, and multiplying outings and worldly visits. It was in one of them, that of the Incarnation in Avila, that Teresa de Ahumada entered, then 20 years old... who would later become Saint Teresa of Avila.
In 1562, Teresa of Avila founded the Carmel of Saint Joseph of Avila, first Carmel of the reform, that is, of the Discalced Carmelites, living in small numbers the contemplative ideal of the first hermits and a more intense fraternal life.
In 1568, with the help of Saint John of the Cross, she founded the Discalced Carmelite Friars, the masculine branch of the Carmel reform. Carmels multiplied in Spain then in France, and in turn, these monasteries spread to many other lands: Holy Land, India, Vietnam, Madagascar, Senegal...
What to expect during your stay
Retreats offered at the Carmel
The religious sisters of the Carmel of Saint-Sever offer retreats for young women desiring to be helped in discerning their vocation and to live a few days in the Lord's presence.
A privileged moment to find recollection, sharing the prayer life of the sisters, in an atmosphere of silence and solitude, amid the beauty of nature.
Here are the three types of spiritual retreats available at the Carmel of Christ the King in Saint-Sever:
- MISS-TIC sessions
Spend a few days in the heart of the Chalosse region of Les Landes, in a fraternal atmosphere, to pray with the Carmelites, serve (gardening, painting...) and take time for reflection.
Program includes: divine office and prayer times, daily teachings by the sisters (introduction to mental prayer, lectio divina, discovering the saints of Carmel, woman's vocation...), manual work (bring boots and work clothes), possibility of personal accompaniment, testimonies and prayer vigil, time in solitude...
- "Listen and see" weekend: for young women between 16 and 35 years old, students or young professionals
Two days to discover the life of the Carmelites!
Program includes: divine office, Mass, spiritual reading, lectio divina, rosary, mental prayer, meeting with sisters, small service if you need activities. A weekend of prayer and silence to take stock in your life, listen to God and be accompanied, if the retreatant desires, for discernment.
Upon arrival, a meeting is scheduled with the prioress to compose the stay according to each person's expectations. All arrivals and departures are organized according to the retreatants' possibilities, knowing that a sister can come to pick you up if needed at the Mont de Marsan train station.
Contribution to expenses is on a free-will basis.
- Individual retreats: for young women between 16 and 35 years old, students or young professionals
Anytime during the year, upon request, it is possible to experience a time of vocational discernment and discovery of monastic life!
*Please clearly explain your expectations and any questions when filling out the form!
Geography and activities
The majestic abbey church of Saint-Sever, UNESCO World Heritage site
Saint-Sever, in the department of Landes (40) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, an ancient medieval town, owes its reputation to its majestic abbey church founded at the end of the 10th century and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Its originality lies in its plan with seven staggered apses. It has just been completely restored and is worth the visit. Moreover, it's only a five-minute walk from the Carmel of Saint-Sever!
Discover Les Landes, the medieval town of Saint-Sever and its prestigious chicken!
But if the name Saint-Sever sounds familiar to you, it's surely because of the chicken! Yes, the famous Saint-Sever farm chicken, the first label rouge in history! Les Landes is of course renowned for its gastronomy and for good reason: duck confit, magret and foie gras are among the best ambassadors of local products!
Wandering through the small streets of Saint-Sever, steeped in history, you can discover the Couvent des Jacobins, a monument dating from 1280 housing the museum, and a privileged venue for the city's many cultural events and festivals. Private mansions will regularly make you look up! They date from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries with Bordeaux influence and testify to a bourgeois period in Saint-Sever.
Saint-Sever is also preserved nature, with many walking trails available: on the shaded greenway, allowing you to admire the numerous viewpoints that the Chalosse region offers, or even along the Adour River...
Practical information
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