Monastery of Poor Clares at Millau

Posted in Diocese of Rodez, Ecclesiastical province of Toulouse, Poor Clairs

clamillau1redim - Monastery of Poor Clares at Millau

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The History of our Monastery

In 1291, a piece of land under the Noline door was offered to the abbess of the Montpelier Poor Clares, so that she might establish a “monastery according to her Order”. After many vicissitudes. they do settled there. In 1324, a flooding of the river Tarn compels the Poor Clares to settle by the Capelle door. The Wars of Religion led the monastery to an end and it closed in 1562. In 1629, a new monastery was implanted at the “Pont Vieux” by two Poor Clare nuns from Limoges. The revolutionary turmoil was to compel the Poor Clares to leave their convent and scatter. In 1875, Sister Marie-Anne, coming from the Perpignan monastery with 8 other sisters, established a new foundation, this time in the Montplaisir neighborhood. They settled in the present monastery in 1882.

The monastery today

We are a community comprised of 15 sisters from all over France. We also are an intercultural community since, among us, there is a sister from the Philippines and there are two sisters from Kabinda (Democratic Republic of Congo), a foundation of the Béziers monastery, and that is a great richness for our community life, the liturgy, and the cooking… The community is placed under the vocable of “Our Lady of Sorrows’” or, alternatively, “Our Lady of Compassion”, which deeply colors our mutual relationships and the relationships we have with the people who knock at our door. Our community, which is deeply implanted in Millau and the Parish, is cherished by the people of Millau.

Special features of our monastery

We form a community in which sisterhood relationships are founded on simplicity and benevolence, even though difficulties, which are inherent to any community life, are not missing. There is a good communication flow between us, particularly during our community meetings, and one of the strong poles in our life is the liturgy and the listening of the Word of God. We are still working at the host workshop. The making of children clothes, origami or dried flowers cards, a very small family hospitality service keep our days busy, plus the keeping or our building and the garden.