FONTGOMBAULT ABBEY
Fontgombault Abbey on a bank of the Creuse, housing a monastic guesthouse and offering a visit from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 7pm.
The abbey is known the world over as a place of meditation. In 1991, it celebrated its ninth centenary. Pierre de l'Étoile and his fellow hermits founded the abbey in 1091 on a bank of the Creuse River, adopting the rule of St. Benedict. During the 12thand 13thcenturies , the abbey grew considerably, founding some twenty priories. In 1741, the Benedictines were replaced by Lazarists, then by Trappists in 1849, who went into exile in the USA in 1904. From 1919 to 1948, a diocesan seminary for late-stage vocations was established in part of the buildings. 22 Benedictines from Solesme took over the abbey in 1948. Today, the community consists of around 60 monks. To support themselves, the monks engage in a variety of activities, such as stoneware pottery, enamels and authentic icons. They also run their own farming estate, raising livestock, growing fruit and vegetables. The monastery's guesthouse offers guests the opportunity to retreat and enjoy the monastic services and the silence of the site. The monastery guesthouse offers 32 rooms for men, with meals shared with the monks, and 14 single rooms plus 16 double rooms for families in small houses adjoining the monastery, with meals prepared by the retreatants. The abbey church is open to visitors from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 7pm.
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