The abbey of Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux also known as Le Barroux Abbey is a traditionalist

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

located in

Le Barroux Le Barroux (; oc, Lo Barós) is a village and commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It had a population of 629 in 2017. History Its current name derives from the Latin ''Albaruff ...

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label=Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It was founded in 1978 by Dom

Gérard Calvet Dom Gérard Calvet (18 November 1927 – 28 February 2008) was a French Catholic abbot and founder of the Sainte Madeleine du Barroux abbey in Le Barroux, France. He was considered to be an important figure in contemporary Catholic traditionalism ...

while the current abbot is Dom Louis-Marie de Geyer d’Orth. The liturgy is celebrated according to the pre-1970 Roman Missal (

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated alm ...

). The

Divine Office Divine Office may refer to: * Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church * Canonical hours In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark t ...

of the monastery is streamed daily.

History

Before the current abbey was consecrated a group of men, led by Dom Gérard Calvet, founded a small community of Benedictine monks in the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene in the

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label=Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, he founded the abbey as a way to continue the traditional practice and life of the Benedictine Monks and the traditional liturgy of the Catholic Church. In 1979 a female branch was founded, the . In 1986 the community numbered 53 monks. Initially supportive of the Lefebvrist movement, they made a break with it in the aftermath of the

Écône consecrations The Écône consecrations were a set of episcopal consecrations that took place in Écône, Switzerland, on 30 June 1988. They were performed by Catholic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer, and the bishops who were co ...

and the subsequent excommunications of archbishop

Marcel Lefebvre Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre (; 29 November 1905 – 25 March 1991) was a French Catholic archbishop who greatly influenced modern traditional Catholicism. In 1970, he founded the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a community to trai ...

and the consecrated bishops. On July 25, 1988 after a period of negotiations the monks were relieved of their sanctions and reconciled with the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, while still being authorized to use the pre-concillar liturgy in accordance with the ''

motu proprio In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term '' sua sponte'' for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a ...

'' ''

Ecclesia Dei ''Ecclesia Dei'' is the document Pope John Paul II issued on 2 July 1988 in reaction to the Ecône consecrations, in which four priests of the Society of Saint Pius X were ordained as bishops despite an express prohibition by the Holy See. The ...

'' issued by Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

the day after the excommunications. On June 18, 1989 the monastery was accorded canonical status and on July 2 it was elevated to the rank of Abbey, with Dom Gerard Calvet as its first Abbot. The Abbey was consecrated on October 2, 1989 by Cardinal

Édouard Gagnon Édouard Gagnon, PSS, OC (15 January 1918 – 25 August 2007) was a Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal and President of the Pontifical Council for the Family for 16 years, from 1974 to 1990. He became a cardinal on 25 May 1985. Biography Édouar ...

. On September 24, 1995,

Cardinal Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

, then prefect for the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible ...

, visited the monastery and celebrated Mass. On November 21, 2002 eight of the almost 70 monks left the Abbey to found the in Saint-Pierre-de-Clairac. Dom Gerard resigned as Abbot on November 25, 2003 and Dom Louis-Marie was chosen to replace him. On February 28, 2008 Dom Gerard died due to

brain stroke Stroke (also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or brain attack) is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, d ...

. On September 25, 2008, the Abbey became part of the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

of the Order of St Benedict. In 2008 several monks left Le Barroux to make a new foundation in Villatalla, Imperia Province,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. As of May 2014 the Abbey had 57 members, including 26

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, 1

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

, 21 brothers, 1 student, 1 temporarily professed and 5

novices A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

, with 44 being the average age.

Community

The monastery has its own mill, which is used to produce olive oil. The monks also produce lavender, wine and bread in their own bakery. The Abbey produces wine jointly with local winemakers in a traditional manner. The monks offer spiritual retreats, as well as individual spiritual guidance. The Abbey has a hotel to accommodate the guests. In order to enable

oblate In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally li ...

s and other faithful to connect to the liturgical life of the monastery more closely, the monks began broadcasting their daily round of the

online. The recordings are available on the Abbey’s website and via a phone app.

Gallery

File:Sainte madelaine du Barroux - arrivée, by JM Rosier.jpg, Another view of the Abbey File:Sainte madelaine du Barroux - cloitre privé, by JM Rosier.jpg, The

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

File:Sainte madelaine du Barroux - refectoire, by JM Rosier.jpg, The

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

Resources

Official site of the Abbey
* The Divine Office is streamed daily o
iTunes
an

** Previous recordings are archived at https://archive.org/details/barroux *Documentary
Watchmen of the Night
' about the daily life of the monks at Le Barroux Abbey (French with English subtitles) *

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Vaucluse Benedictine monasteries in France Communities using the Tridentine Mass Christian organizations established in 1980 1980 establishments in France