Tarascon Visitation Monastery
Half an hour from Avignon and the Camargue, the Visitandine Sisters of Tarascon Monastery welcome you for a spiritual, restful, and fraternal stay.
The community invites you to come and stay in their monastery imbued with Provençal gentleness. Come discover a daily life transfigured by God's presence, in gentleness and humility, simplicity and joy.
Retreats organized by the community
The Visitandines, a community present since 1641 and still as welcoming!
The sisters are contemplative nuns of the Order of the Visitation, founded in 1610 by Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal.
Their primary mission is prayer, praise, and constant intercession for the world: welcoming in their hearts and carrying in their prayer everything that touches the lives of women and men today. Called by their founders to "do everything through love and nothing by force," the Sisters seek to follow Christ daily, following the example of the Virgin Mary
Today, the community is composed of 19 nuns, including one novice. Aged 43 to 85, they learn to live a true fraternal communion by allowing themselves to be enriched by their differences in age, temperament, and culture.
Their activities, in addition to the guest house, include beekeeping, with production of honey and swarms, making jams with fruit from the garden, and various other small crafts that they sell at the shop at the monastery entrance. Why so much monastic craftsmanship? Read our article dedicated to this subject right here to better understand this fundamental aspect of certain places run by religious communities!
History of Tarascon Visitation Monastery
The Order of the Visitation has been present in Tarascon since 1641! It has had several locations and the community was expelled during the 1789 revolution.
The Visitandines were able to return in 1843 to Tarascon and settle permanently in 1854 in the current monastery. At the time... it was countryside! Today, the town has grown and has developed around the monastery. Who would imagine that behind their walls lies a haven of peace covering three hectares?
The monastery chapel, which forms the West wing of the building, is always open and many people come to stop, entrust an intention, meditate... The community occupies the central part, in the shade of an immense centuries-old oak tree.
The East wing of the monastery is entirely dedicated to the guest house. The Order of the Visitation has always had an important tradition of hospitality.
What to expect during your stay
Making a spiritual retreat in Provence at Tarascon
The guest house aims to be a space of silence, peace, and prayer where everyone feels welcomed as they are and where they are at. Indeed, the reasons for coming to find renewal are numerous and varied! Here's a small sample right here!
Those who wish may receive spiritual guidance, according to the nuns' availability.
Help with seasonal activities is always welcome according to each person's abilities: garden, beekeeping, harvesting, domestic tasks...
A guest house to welcome you at the Visitation Monastery!
The guest house has 20 rooms (with single or double beds, with private or shared bathrooms on the floor) on 2 floors served by an elevator. The premises are accessible to people with disabilities.
Oratory, dining rooms, several meeting rooms including one with 100 seats on the ground floor with video projector and sound system. Wifi is available throughout the building.
The garden is at your disposal to meditate before the beauty of Creation and a library offers nourishing works.
Meals are taken at fixed times with all the guests: a time of conviviality where beautiful encounters take place! The community will also be happy to share their prayer times with you.
Geography and activities
In the heart of Provence, a perfect place to recharge
The monastery is very close to the Rhône and the old town of Tarascon, the town of the famous Tartarin de Tarascon, near the medieval castle of King René and Saint Martha's Church which houses the relics of the saint who is said to have evangelized this town in the 1st century...
You can stroll through the renowned markets of Provence, participate in folkloric festivals in Provençal costumes and attend horse parades…
Get some fresh air in the natural parks of the Alpilles and the Camargue, visit the Papal Palace of Avignon, the ancient theater of Orange, the arenas of Arles or Nîmes, discover Les Baux de Provence or Daudet's mill at Fontvielle…
Practical information
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