Jouarre Abbey
Can't take city life anymore? Need a break? Jouarre Abbey is home to a community of Benedictine nuns.
They welcome you with open arms for a spiritual retreat, just a stone's throw from Paris!
Retreats organized by the community
Jouarre Abbey, a centuries-old monastery east of Paris
Monastic life began at this site in 630 with the founding of the monastery by Adon. It is believed that the abbey initially housed a women's community, which flourished to the point of founding other monasteries in Soissons and Chelles. Jouarre Abbey later adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict when Charlemagne decided to impose it throughout the Empire.
This marked the beginning of a period of great vitality for the abbey, gradually establishing itself as a true ecclesiastical lordship. In the 11th century, the monastery's Tower was built (it still stands today!).
Like many monasteries, Jouarre Abbey was confiscated and sold during the French Revolution, and the nuns were expelled. It wasn't until 1837 that five elderly nuns (the last of the dispersed community) welcomed eleven nuns from Pradines to refound the abbey! Monastic life resumed, the buildings were repurchased, and the church was rebuilt in 1863.
The nuns experienced another expulsion in 1903, then the monastery became a military hospital during World War I, before the sisters returned in 1919. Jouarre has helped establish several foundations. Jouarre also participated in the creation in 1953 of the Federation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a grouping of monasteries in France and Africa (Ivory Coast and Guinea).
The Benedictine nuns of Jouarre Abbey
The nuns of Jouarre Abbey live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict. Written in the 6th century, this Rule aims to enable everyone, both the strong and the weak, to share the experience of living according to the Gospel that Benedict himself lived.
This is the adventure that the nuns of Jouarre Abbey live daily: the community is a gathering of people who, over the course of days, learn to share everything in common, to watch over one another, and to place their entire existence under God's gaze! Quite a program... The Rule of Saint Benedict, over fourteen centuries old, is still very modern! It offers everyone a path to seek God through prayer, work, service, and the spirit of hospitality.
The community includes nuns of all ages, devoted daily to prayer! Each day is thus punctuated by the celebration of six divine offices (Vigils, Lauds, Eucharist, Sext, Vespers, Compline).
Faithful to the balance of the Benedictine Rule (Ora et Labora), the nuns lead a simple life of various services and crafts, including a ceramics workshop as well as the production of delicious jams! They also run a religious bookstore and shop.
What to expect during your stay
The guest house, hospitality, and welcome at Notre-Dame de Jouarre Abbey
The dimension of hospitality is at the heart of Benedictine life. Welcoming the guest, for a moment, a day, or a time, is a duty desired by Saint Benedict when writing his Rule.
Although one sister is responsible for the guest house, the entire community lives this spirit of hospitality, both through the very concrete welcome at the church during offices, the welcome in prayer of all intentions entrusted, and the mutual welcome of one another in daily community life. In fact, all the nuns consider themselves guests in the "house of God," as this is how the monastery is designated by Saint Benedict.
Making a spiritual retreat at Jouarre Abbey
The nuns of Jouarre Abbey have thus inherited a true charism of welcoming anyone seeking spirituality and silence.
You, urban or rural dwellers, believers or non-believers, don't hesitate to discover Jouarre Abbey where the community will be happy to offer you a privileged setting of calm and prayer. An ideal place for a spiritual retreat just a stone's throw from Paris!
At Jouarre Abbey, there are several welcome opportunities throughout the year:
- Individual spiritual refreshment stays on request, from 1 to 7 days
- An annual retreat for oblates, open to all
- A weekend discovery of lectio divina
- For young people aged 18-35: weekend discovery of monastic life, 3 days for God, Easter celebrations with the community...
- Study stays for students
- Medium and long stays of several weeks to several months
BONUS: The Sisters of Jouarre on video with McFly and Carlito
A large guest house for you to recharge at Jouarre Abbey
Everyone is welcome at Jouarre Abbey to enjoy the benefits of a spiritual retreat. A time of pause, withdrawal, and renewal can be extremely valuable, in a setting conducive to silence, prayer, contemplation, and fraternal encounters. Don't hesitate to come and set down your bags at Jouarre!
The guest house at Jouarre Abbey includes the following facilities:
- 7 rooms with private bathrooms
- 3 double rooms with private bathrooms
- 10 rooms with shared bathrooms
- A meeting room equipped with audiovisual equipment for study groups
Each guest is free to organize their retreat time as they wish. Welcomed in a religious setting, retreatants are encouraged to participate in the sung offices at the church. They have access to an oratory in the guest house to rest and pray, a library to read and work in peace, and a park to get some fresh air. Meals are taken in silence (but with music!).
The community is available to accompany those who would like to meet and talk with a nun during their retreat. It is also possible to request to do gardening work or to be introduced to lectio divina with a nun.
Geography and activities
A spiritual retreat in the Paris region? Come to Jouarre Abbey, just 1 hour from Paris!
Jouarre Abbey is located in Seine-et-Marne (77), 20km from Meaux and 70km east of Paris. The monastery is in the heart of the village, but the countryside is just a few minutes' walk away. A spiritual retreat at Jouarre therefore allows you to enjoy the greenery by strolling through fields and rural paths.
Other nearby activities are accessible from the monastery:
- The Romanesque tower of the abbey (11th century) with monastic tour and discovery of the abbey's products at the shop
- Also within the abbey grounds: the Merovingian crypt and the church
- In the village of Jouarre, the delicious Ganod cheese shop
- In the surrounding area, to get some fresh air and stretch your legs: the Choqueuse forest
- Further afield, walks along the Marne River, the Great War Museum in Meaux...
Practical information
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