Twelve traditionalist monks are leaving Barroux Abbey to join Bellefontaine Abbey near Cholet this Saturday, 11 July.
At dawn on 10 July, two vans carried the twelve monks from Barroux Abbey in the Vaucluse. Averaging forty years of age, they are led by their prior, Father Raphaël, and accompanied by their abbot, Dom Louis-Marie. They stopped at Sainte-Marie-de-la-Garde Abbey before reaching Bellefontaine in time for Compline prayer.
The Cistercian Abbey of Bellefontaine, founded in 1120 in Maine-et-Loire, was slated for closure. Their permanent establishment takes place on Saturday, 11 July. The transfer represents a significant handover for the Catholic Church in France.
The monks are thus leaving their Provençal site planted with olive trees and lavender to settle in the village of Bégrolles-en-Mauges near Cholet.
