Notre-Dame de la Résurrection Hermitages
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Founded in 1984 by the Diocese of Montauban, the hermitages, located in the Rouergue causses, welcome Christians seeking silence and solitude during a spiritual retreat.
This place, built by local parishioners, fosters an experience of prolonged prayer and deep fraternal communion, following the tradition of the Desert Fathers.
Retreats organized by the community
The hermitages and desert spirituality
Founded in 1984, at the initiative of the Diocese of Montauban, the hermitages, a place of silence and solitude, welcome for a spiritual retreat Christians familiar with "desert" spirituality, seeking time set apart to listen to the Word of God.
Located in the Rouergue causses, with its groves of holm oaks scattered among pastures and rocks, this place is conducive to an experience of prolonged prayer.
It was built by Christians from the diocese, particularly farmers from the villages of Puylagarde and Parisot, the parishes closest to the site. From the beginning, these generous Christians respect the solitude of those in prayer. In a climate of fraternity, a deep communion is lived with those one encounters on the paths.
It is often expressed through a look or a caring smile. Since 1984, many have testified to the benefits of silence and solitude and return at regular intervals to live a time of silent retreat.
A spiritual retreat in the heart of nature
The place is entrusted to a hermit sister, affiliated with the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem. It is a hospitality place of the diocese under the authority of the Bishop of Montauban. By vocation, the hermitage exercises a mission of prayer in silence and solitude.
As part of the hospitality, the resident hermit can offer occasional guidance in the form of fraternal support, aimed at enriching the retreatant's experience through listening to the shared Word.
The geographic location offers retreatants the possibility to pray in nature and take solitary walks that help relax the body and establish inner silence.
Outdoor activities such as gardening, gathering wood, and weeding are offered to retreatants according to the seasons and each person's wishes. Some choose to create handcrafted objects according to their passion: painting, sculpture, or icons.
What to expect during your stay
Living a time of silence conducive to contemplation
The place offers exclusively silent retreats lasting one to two weeks according to each person's spiritual journey. Some retreatants choose, after discernment with their spiritual director, to live a longer hermitage experience of one to several months as part of a sabbatical year.
Each person commits to respecting silence in the hermitage space and fraternally offering other retreatants the calm that fosters the contemplation desired by all.
In the hermitage, the break from noise and the accelerated pace of daily life is radical and allows one to gain distance from everyday life. The contemplation of the hermitage helps one become present to God and his word.
The divine offices are prayed in solitude at the hermitage, except for Sunday Vigils which are sung at the chapel and followed by an hour of adoration. The liturgy is meant to be sober, stripped down, and prayerful, including moments of silence that open to the Mystery.
Solitude and communion are inseparable. A deep relationship is established between retreatants, a relationship that is the fruit of prayer in a fraternal climate.
A retreat in complete autonomy
Each retreatant is welcomed in a hermitage, a small 30 m2 building with white walls adorned with icons that recall the "presence". This space includes an oratory, a living area, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. It is furnished with simplicity.
A simplicity that invites entering into prayer where our faith and our relationship with God deepen. Meals are taken in solitude at the hermitage. Each retreatant finds food products available to prepare for meals. A common laundry room allows each person to do their laundry and dry their personal linens.
Geography and activities
A picturesque region to discover in the heart of Occitanie
The hermitages are located at the entrance to the foothills of the Massif Central between the towns of Caussade in Tarn-et-Garonne and Villefranche-de-Rouergue in Aveyron. They are situated in the triangle formed by the three departments of Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn-et-Garonne.
Amid pastures and limestone rocks on the ground, this landscape typical of the region, known as the "Rouergue causses", invites walking.
- While strolling through the region, you will discover the ruins of numerous abbeys, all of which have been restored and are open for summer visits with various exhibitions such as Loc Dieu Abbey or Beaulieu Abbey.
- Near the hermitages is the town of Villefranche, which houses the former Carthusian cloister.
- It is also possible to visit the medieval village and church of Caylus.
- Near the hermitages is also the town of Cordes-sur-Ciel, a medieval city nestled in a picturesque setting, which hosts a significant artists' workshop.
- The hermitages are very close to the François Palau Spiritual Center, near the Bor Dominican Convent.
Practical information
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