Couvent Saint Paul
Located at the gateway to Limousin, in the Périgord region, near the Dordogne, Couvent Saint Paul welcomes people seeking a time of rest or renewal. Couvent Saint Paul is a spiritual retreat center run by priests of the Institute of the Good Shepherd. The community welcomes all types of retreatants: men, women, students, and groups.
Retreats organized by the community
Couvent Saint-Paul in the heart of Périgord
Located at the gateway to the Périgord-Limousin regional natural park, in the Green Périgord, the convent was founded in 1870 by Miss Augustine Faure (1826-1880), daughter of a lawyer from Thiviers. She called upon the Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary, who came from Treignac, and they opened an orphanage, day school, and boarding school for girls.
During the 1914-1918 war, it was transformed into a military hospital for 220 wounded soldiers, cared for by the Sisters of the Cross of Lavaur. Then it resumed its original function with the Sisters of Lavaur, who would merge with other communities to form the Congregation of the Sisters of Christ in 1976. The convent-boarding school closed in the 1980s and the religious moved to another house in the town.
A few years later, the convent was converted into a medical-social center that is still owned by the sisters, but it was too expensive to maintain. The religious gave it to the "Partage" association in 1991, which took care of the unemployed and various activities. The association was liquidated in 1999 and the building remained abandoned for many years, squatted, and even set on fire!
The convent was finally sold in June 2019 to Father Aulagnier (Institute of the Good Shepherd), who proceeded with its partial renovation. The Sacred Heart chapel (consecrated in 1873) was restored first, along with about fifteen rooms to welcome retreatants. The convent is a beautiful 19th-century building, with a total area of more than 4,000 square meters, adorned with a magnificent chapel attached to the building and grounds of more than 3 hectares!
The Institute of the Good Shepherd at Saint Paul
The Institute of the Good Shepherd is a priestly institute (a "Society of Apostolic Life") placed under the direct authority of the Holy See. Founded on September 8, 2006, in Rome, the Mother House of the Institute is in a parish in central Bordeaux.
Created under the impetus of Pope Benedict XVI, the institute now brings together 62 priests serving some thirty dioceses in France, Poland, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, the United States, Australia, and Uganda. Its priests exercise their apostolate within small communities, in the framework of personal or territorial parishes.
The specific charism of the Institute of the Good Shepherd is the defense and diffusion of the Catholic Tradition in all its forms: doctrinal, apostolic, and liturgical. In particular, the institute's priests celebrate Mass exclusively in the traditional rite, that is, according to the liturgy known as "of Saint Pius V." This attachment to Tradition is resolutely for the institute's priests a way of serving the Church, in submission to the Pope, at the service of Catholic bishops, and for the good of all the faithful. It is the expression of their desire to offer to the entire Church and the World the riches and benefits of the Catholic Tradition as a treasure from which all must draw.
What to expect during your stay
Your retreat at Couvent Saint-Paul
Different options are possible during your retreat at Couvent Saint-Paul:
- Saint Ignatius retreats (5 days) are organized once a month.
- Retreats for engaged couples and married couples several times a year.
- Welcoming students for their study periods.
- Welcoming groups (scouts, choir, etc.) for training sessions.
- Welcoming pilgrims on the Way of Santiago de Compostela.
The convent can also welcome individuals for a time of rest and personal retreat.
The presence of two priests on site allows for daily accompaniment of retreatants and they are available to those who wish (confessions, individual meetings). Retreatants can also attend the various offices.
A suitable place open to all
The monastery currently includes about twenty rooms and two dormitories. Once the work is completed, the accommodation capacity should reach about fifty beds.
The convent can accommodate in single or double rooms:
- 15 single rooms
- 3 double rooms for now.
Different spaces are available:
- Access to the chapel is open in addition to the offices celebrated there (Mass in the morning and rosary in the evening, or other depending on the liturgical season).
- a meeting room for 20 people.
- a refectory with 20 seats (meals are provided by the convent)
The convent also has a small garden and a large plot of land where retreatants can find rest and the calm of the countryside.
Geography and activities
Couvent Saint-Paul, a green haven in the heart of Périgord
The convent is located in Thiviers in northern Dordogne, in the Green Périgord. The town is situated at the crossroads of roads linking Limoges to the central Pyrenees. It is located about 30 kilometers northeast of Périgueux and 55 kilometers southwest of Limoges. It is also served by the Thiviers train station on the Limoges-Périgueux rail line.
Between Eyzerac to the south and Nantheuil and Saint-Paul-la-Roche to the north, the long-distance hiking trail GR 654 crosses the municipal territory for five kilometers.
The rural setting of the convent greatly favors recollection and rest for everyone. Located on the outskirts of the small town of Thiviers, it offers the comfort of the countryside and the advantages of nearby shops.
The Dordogne is a very touristic area, rich in heritage and landscapes. Many magnificent places can be discovered just a few kilometers away: Saint-Jean-de-Côle, Brantôme Abbey, Hautefort... These beautiful places are at most 30 minutes by car.
What to do around Couvent Saint-Paul?
From the convent, different activities are accessible on foot or by car:
- Many hiking trails in the countryside, including the Voie verte Thiviers-Saint Pardoux la Rivière.
- The Thiviers market every Saturday, one of the largest in the region.
- The Périgord-Limousin natural park
- The Périgord vert rail bike, a fun activity to do in groups or with family.
- The Nantheuil water area: accessible for swimming, 3 km on foot from the convent
- One of the most beautiful villages in France: Saint-Jean-de-Côle
- Brantôme Benedictine Abbey, which is without question one of the jewels of religious heritage in Périgord
- Hautefort Castle
- Périgueux and its Saint-Front Cathedral in Byzantine style
- And many other sites less than 45 minutes by car!
Practical information
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