France: 91 Contemplative Monasteries Have Closed in 20 Years

A new study of Catholic contemplative monasteries has found that 91 monasteries have closed in France over the past two decades, representing nearly one-third of the country's contemplative houses.
The findings come from French sociologist Isabelle Jonveaux, a specialist in monastic life at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), whose research was published by LaVie.fr on July 21.
Several well-known monasteries have already announced their closure for 2026, including La Grande Trappe of Soligny (Orne), the Carmel of Compiègne (Oise), and Notre-Dame du Port-du-Salut (Mayenne).
According to the study, nearly 30% of France's contemplative monasteries have disappeared since 2007. Women's communities have been affected more severely than men's, with 32% of women's monasteries closing compared with 21% of men's.
The pace of closures has also accelerated. Until around 2015, France averaged fewer than four monastery closures per year. Today, the figure is close to ten annually.
Among religious …More