Hautecombe Abbey
In this magnificent setting, ideal for prayer, the Chemin Neuf Community welcomes each year young people between 18 and 30 years old from around the world for retreats and formation programs ranging from a few weeks to several months.
The community invites you to take time to rest, pray, or simply enjoy the silence and beauty of an abbey with over 900 years of prayer history. You can also experience daily life with the abbey's residents, including liturgy and personal prayer, service, fellowship... It's up to you to find the rhythm that suits you!
Retreats organized by the community
A brief history of Hautecombe Abbey in Savoie
Built in the early 12th century at the initiative of Cistercian Abbot Amédée de Clermont, the abbey has always been inhabited by religious communities.
It stands on the western shore of Lake Bourget in Savoie. It was founded in 1125 by Amédée de Lausanne, with the help of Count Amédée III of Savoy and the support of Bernard of Clairvaux himself!
Hautecombe Abbey is particularly known for being the necropolis of the House of Savoy. In other words, the Counts of Savoy are buried at Hautecombe Abbey, along with their family and some members of the ducal family of Savoy, as well as some kings and queens of Italy.
Contrary to appearances, it was in the 19th century, under the impetus of King Charles Felix of Sardinia, that the abbey took its current form: the church was renovated in a unique flamboyant neo-Gothic style by architect Ernesto Melano, rivaling the extravagant works of an architect like Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Before that, like many abbeys across France during the Revolution, it had suffered destruction that necessitated complete restoration.
The establishment of the Chemin Neuf Community at Hautecombe Abbey
In 1992, the Father Abbot and the Archbishop of Chambéry called upon the Chemin Neuf Community, founded in Lyon in 1973, to continue the abbey's vocation of prayer and hospitality, as well as to maintain and animate the place.
Today, about thirty brothers and sisters of the Chemin Neuf Community, along with about sixty young people in formation, pray and live there daily.
Additionally, for over 10 years they have organized an annual festival that lives up to its name: Welcome To Paradise. It's a festival where you can choose your activities each day from among twenty options: sports, conferences, spiritual moments, sharing, relaxation, concerts. It welcomes both believers and those without faith and aims to allow everyone to recharge, make connections, and experience authentic moments in an idyllic setting!
Outside of formation and contemplation times, community members stay busy welcoming visitors to the abbey's inn and producing honey, sparkling wine, blonde, amber, and even brown beer!
The Community serves in over 50 countries and is established in about thirty of them. The abbey's residents come from all nationalities: between 15 to 30 countries are represented each year.
What to expect during your stay
Making a spiritual retreat at Hautecombe Abbey
The members of the Chemin Neuf Community at Hautecombe Abbey primarily welcome young people ages 18 to 30, with joy and conviviality, fellowship and sharing.
At Hautecombe, the community adapts to your needs and offers stays at different levels of commitment. Anyone who wishes to pray, regain strength, discern, study, or take time to live calmly surrounded by nature is welcome year-round!
- Don't know what to do with your summer? You love nature and historic places, you're looking for a place for your senior scout or guide camp? The abbey welcomes volunteers with pleasure for renewal periods of one or several weeks in July and August.
- Want to dive deeper into integral ecology and serve by working the land? The abbey organizes spiritual gardening sessions year-round!
- Interested in heritage and art history? Train in missionary tourism while enjoying the beauty of the place and living at the abbey's rhythm.
- Feeling a bit cramped in your student room? Spend time away from the world and take advantage of this exceptional setting to study for exams, write your thesis, or prepare your defense!
- Simply want to experience a spiritual pause at the abbey, take your time, find yourself, and meditate? The abbey welcomes you with joy!
Divine office schedule at Hautecombe Abbey
- Lauds at 8:00 AM: weekdays
- Vespers at 7:00 PM: weekends & weekdays
- Mass at 12:00 PM: daily
- Eucharistic Adoration from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM: weekends & weekdays
Geography and activities
Hiking in the Savoie mountains around Hautecombe Abbey
The abbey is located in the countryside, at the foot of Mont de Charvaz, which rises to 1,158 meters. The nearest village is Saint-Pierre de Curtis (5 km), which is the starting point for numerous hiking trails. Don't hesitate, come discover the beauty surrounding Hautecombe Abbey! With a brother from the abbey, set out on an adventure and experience moments of fellowship and wonder.
Want to go a bit farther? Aix-les-Bains, nicknamed the "Riviera of the Alps," is only 10 km away. It's France's fourth-largest thermal spa town, no less! In addition to the water activities that naturally take place there, it has remarkable architectural heritage: travel through time and visit the Roman remains of the Temple of Diana, the Château de la Roche du Roi... You can even reach Aix-les-Bains by boat from the Abbey's dock and admire the Marie-Christine Tower from a different perspective!
The city of Chambéry is about 25 km away and contains equally interesting heritage, starting with its famous château, residence of the Dukes of Savoy.
Practical information
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