COUVENT SAINT-JEAN-DE-MATHA

The Brotherhood of the Holy Trinity was established in 1644 in the parish of Faucon. In 1661, the Fathers asked the Duke of Savoy for permission to found a convent of their order. They obtained all the necessary agreements but the Dominicans of Barcelonnette opposed the project which could harm their interests. The Penitents' chapel was nevertheless made available to the Trinitarians in 1668 and the monastery was completed in 1684. The relics of St. John of Matha, founder of the order in 1193, were transferred from Faucon to the Trinitarian church in August 1674. Over the years, the convent became part of the Italian Province, and then of the Spanish Trinitarian Reform. During the French Revolution, it was sold as national property.

In 1852, the convent was bought by the Roman Prince Alexander Torlonia at the request of his friend Father Anthony of the Mother of God, Minister General, who wanted to establish a religious community there. The Fathers were expelled again in 1900. They were replaced by the Trinitarian Hospitaller Sisters of Saint Martha of Marseilles until 1905. Prince Torlonia entrusted the convent to the priest of Faucon. In 1962, the use of the convent was granted to the Trinitarian Sisters of Valencia. They remained there until 1977 and were replaced by Trinitarian Fathers from Quebec. In 1998, a French minister was appointed to head the convent.

Located in the Ubaye valley, in the village of Faucon near Barcelonnette, the convent of the Trinitarian Brothers of Saint-Jean-de-Matha benefits today from an exceptional mountain setting. It has an eighteenth century chapel that can hold two hundred people, an interior courtyard, a cloister, an oratory and a library, a reading room and a meeting room with forty seats. One can share in the prayer of the small community of at least one Father and one Brother. Individual retreats are offered, the duration and progress of which are left to the initiative of each person. Organized groups are also welcomed.

Accommodation: 15 beds with 15 individual rooms. Showers and toilets are shared on each floor. The reception can be done in full board. For large groups or families, accommodation can be provided in the Maison-Alpes-Monjoie adjacent to the monastery, and modern accommodation in studios, run by the Trinitarian Sisters of Saint-Jean-de-Matha.