Notre-Dame de Protection Abbey of Valognes
Located at the entrance to the historic city of Valognes, renowned for its Gallo-Roman baths, just 15 minutes from the sea, Notre-Dame de Protection Abbey welcomes you alone or in groups for a tailored retreat and time of renewal in Normandy!
Retreats organized by the community
A brief history of Notre-Dame de Protection Abbey of Valognes
The Benedictine Notre-Dame de Protection Abbey is four centuries old, having been founded in Cherbourg in 1623. However, the plague epidemic that cruelly struck Cherbourg in 1626 caused many of its inhabitants to flee, including the very young community.
The Benedictine nuns then came to settle in Valognes, where the buildings of the new royal abbey soon rose. The Revolution drove the sisters from their monastery, and many of them were imprisoned. They then lived clandestinely, protected by the population of Valognes and the surrounding area. After the turmoil, they could not return to their monastery, which became the city hospital.
They regrouped at the Capuchin Convent, which the Capuchins had been forced to leave, driven out by the revolutionaries. Their convent, sold as national property, had suffered greatly during this period. The Benedictine nuns bought it back in 1810. More than 200 years later, they still live there...
Two other upheavals tested the community. First, in 1904, the law against religious congregations posed the serious threat of closure and expulsion, which the sisters narrowly escaped.
Then, World War II placed Valognes at the heart of intense bombardments during the 1944 landing. The monastery itself, having received nearly a hundred bombs, was seriously damaged. Once again, the buildings and church had to be restored. After the ordeal of war, sisters from Dourgne Abbey in the Tarn came to help those of Valognes in this work of restoring both the buildings and Benedictine monastic life itself.
The monastery regained its abbey status, and the first Abbess since the Revolution, the 13th in the community's history, Mother Hildegarde Trabarel, was able to receive her abbatial blessing in September 1957.
Shortly after, in 1963, part of the religious community was sent on mission to found a monastery in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), in Koubri. This monastery is now independent and led by an African prioress. However, the bonds remain close and strong between the two communities, in France and Africa.
The community present at Valognes Abbey
The community is formed of 17 sisters from different regions of France. It has been attached to the Benedictine Congregation of Subiaco since 1956 and has been part of the new Notre-Dame de la Rencontre Federation since 2022.
The sisters lead a fraternal life of prayer and work (house and garden maintenance, guest house, shop). They also have a mission of listening and hospitality for people or groups who desire a place and time of silence, prayer, and deeper entry into the Word of God.
Everyone can participate in the community's offices or Mass. A monastery is first and foremost a house of prayer, in the strong moments that are communal prayers and personal, prolonged, meditated reading of the Bible. But also times of silence and peace, of personal prayer that each one lives throughout the days.
This prayer, for the world and for each person, remains a primary task for the nuns, according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, a 6th-century text whose teaching has remained relevant for fifteen centuries.
What to expect during your stay
The spirit of hospitality: a caring community
People who wish to experience a time of retreat, silence, and renewal can be welcomed. They can also benefit from a personal interview or spiritual guidance with a sister if they wish.
Each person can share in the community's prayer life at their own pace and participate in the sisters' manual work (gardening, house maintenance).
Already formed groups can be received to experience with their leaders a strong moment in the life of a movement, chaplaincy, or spiritual search.
An introduction to lectio divina (prayerful reading of the Bible) can also be provided by a sister of the community.
Experience a spiritual retreat in the Cotentin
The guest house can accommodate 30 people thanks to 23 rooms (9 single rooms and 14 double rooms), two gardens for guests, an oratory, a small library, two small meeting rooms, and a large reception hall!
Two dining rooms are available for taking meals, which can be communal with conversation or in solitude upon request.
The guest rooms are distributed across 4 houses, three of which have a kitchen where it is possible to prepare your own meals.
Geography and activities
Valognes, historic city: from Gallo-Roman heritage to the D-Day Landing
Numerous places and activities are immediately accessible from the abbey! The historic city of Valognes with its museums, the former Benedictine abbey, and even a future aquatic center that will open in 2024.
By car, it is possible to visit the historic D-Day and Landing sites of June 6, 1944 (Sainte-Mère-Église, the Landing beaches) as well as access numerous hiking trails on the coastal paths, up to Cap de la Hague (it's sublime).
Finally, if you feel like a seaside walk, the beach is available 15km from the abbey, served by bus!
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