ABBAYE NOTRE-DAME DE LA COUDRE

During the French Revolution, the monks of the Trappist monastery were forced into exile throughout Europe: Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Russia and Westphalia. From a community established in Darfeld in Germany, ten nuns settled in Laval in 1816, at the old priory of Sainte-Catherine, thus following their brothers, who had recently established themselves at Port-du-Salut, to the banks of the Mayenne. In 1859, the monastery having become too small, they moved to La Coudre, southwest of the city. The abbey founded the abbeys of Clairefontaine in Belgium, Ubexy in the Vosges, Belval in the Pas-de-Calais, Campénéac in the Morbihan, Igny in the Marne and Grandselve in Cameroon. The community, composed of about forty nuns, receives retreatants all year round for stays of 2 to 8 days maximum in the sharing of their community life. The support of the community is expressed in particular by sharing the monastic liturgy in the church, as well as through contacts with the sister who runs the hotel. Meals are taken in silence, listening to the reading in the nuns' refectory. On request, an exchange with the chaplain or a sister is possible. Young women from 18 to 40 years of age can be welcomed for an internship in the community. Among the facilities of the place: two libraries, two oratories and the patio, intended for young people. Accommodation: about twenty rooms in the courtyard of the monastery itself, plus a second place, the patio, allowing a welcome adapted to groups of young people.