Dax Dominican Monastery
Between Bayonne and Mont-de-Marsan, in the Gascon town of Dax, the Dominican monastery is a living place animated by about twenty nuns who cultivate this haven of peace and prayer. You are most welcome!
Little bonus: the Sisters make a whole range of monastic products for those with a sweet tooth, and their green thumb will delight the greatest botanists.
Retreats organized by the community
The Dominican community of Dax
Dax Monastery was founded a few days before Christmas 1863 when a small delegation of Dominicans from Nay Monastery (located in the Pyrenees, near Pau, now run by the Community of the Beatitudes) settled there.
In 1958, a handful of Dominicans, led by the former prioress, set off to settle in Saint-Denis, Réunion, to found a new community across seas and oceans. In the following decades, numbers declined and four communities then merged in 1996.
The community now includes 23 religious, from all corners of France and the world.
Who are the Dominican Sisters of Dax Monastery?
The Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominican Order because it was founded by Saint Dominic, was established in 1215. As early as 1206, Saint Dominic had created a women's monastery near Toulouse.
Saint Dominic gave his new monasteries the Rule of Saint Augustine with the idea of creating a community of fraternal life dedicated to work and prayer for the whole world.
In France, there are 3 key moments in the history of the Dominican order:
- 1) The first relates to the strong development of the order in the Rhine valley during the 14th and 15th centuries.
- 2) The second period occurred in the 17th century, when a renewal was promoted under the impulse of Brother Sébastien Michaelis, along with the creation of about twenty new monasteries.
- 3) Finally, Father Henri-Dominique Lacordaire (1802-1861) was responsible for the restoration of the order in France after the years of the Revolution.
The monastic products of the Dax nuns
The nuns are busy making some monastic products! From culinary art to crafts, there are all kinds of creations, produced through the careful and meticulous work of the Sisters:
- For those with a sweet tooth: cakes, cookies, shortbread and other old-fashioned pastries.
- They also make hosts which will be shared and consumed at the celebration of Mass.
- They also craft rosaries (small necklaces made of beads used to pray to the Virgin Mary)
- The Dominicans of Dax also practice yet another kind of craft: the art of bookbinding (that is, the operation that gives a book its final form: a rigid and flexible cover)
What to expect during your stay
Living a spiritual retreat in Southwest France
The religious welcome anyone who wishes to experience a retreat. Whether you are seeking silence and peace or on a spiritual quest, women, couples and children are warmly welcomed in their guest house with 15 rooms.
The religious will be at your disposal to offer spiritual guidance. In addition, the doors of the guests' library will be wide open to you! A small green space will also allow you to feel like you're in a little corner of paradise.
A typical day in the daily life of the Dominicans
The Dominican nuns of Dax follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, like all Dominican religious, men and women. Thus, their day is punctuated by prayer and offices throughout the sunlight hours:
- 6:00 AM: wake-up then breakfast
- 6:30 AM: lectio divina (study of the Word of God, the Scriptures).
- 7:30 AM: Lauds
- 8:00 AM: Mass
- 9:00 AM: manual work
- 12:00 PM: midday hour
- 12:15 PM: lunch and free time
- 2:30 PM: manual work or study
- 5:30 PM: Vespers then mental prayer (silent face-to-face with God)
- 7:00 PM: dinner
- 8:00 PM: recreation
- 8:30 PM: Compline or Vigils
Small clarification: the Dominicans insist on noting that their life is rhythmic but not timed... In other words, we must leave God the possibility to reserve surprises for us!
Geography and activities
Dax, a Gallo-Roman town in the Landes department (40)
Dax is a very ancient town dating back to the time of Roman occupation and whose ramparts are still a visible testimony.
In this regard, you can discover the Roman archaeological crypt which was built in the 2nd century but also the ramparts, long considered to be the best-preserved Roman enclosure in France.
The town also has an important heritage dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, Dax had a casino and the Splendid Hotel, a luxurious building that is the symbol of Dax's glory days as a thermal spa town. The imprint of Art Deco style is also prevalent.
The town center is particularly picturesque, endowed with delightful multicolored streets, superb private mansions and old houses dating back to the 17th century for some. The religious heritage is also rich, the Notre Dame Sainte-Marie Cathedral dates from the 18th century and Saint-Vincent-de-Xaintes Church bears the name of the first bishop of Dax and martyr.
Practical information
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